IN MY MIND: THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF CRISTINA CHO

MIND CANDY 044: MY WEEKEND WITH KAFFNY

2011-08-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Hate You" by 2ne1
TIME: 10:47 PM

Your's truly performing my Lisa Morrison monologue from COLLECTIVE STORIES by Donald Margulies for Audition Workshop/Monologue Presentation at the KOREAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL NY.
Photo taken August 20th, 2011 Photographer unknown

This weekend was the THE BIG WEEKEND! The weekend for my audition for THE KOREAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL NY! I am not going to go into huge ranting and raving detail about how it went, so instead, I am going to talk about it from my personal point of view.

Well, actually, this past weekend was all about auditioning, because Friday, I had an unexpected audition on Beach Street for something totally different than KAFFNY. Saturday morning was the day of the workshop before the actual audition. They held a donation based workshop for the Korean actors who were auditioning the next day so they can present their monologues to the guest mentors, Natalie Kim and John Egan. They also did this for anyone who was feeling nervous, so they can loosen up before their auditions, because this audition was for all types of actors of different levels from beginner to advanced. I was really excited to present my Lisa Morrison monologue from "Collected Stories" to everyone, and John Egan gave me some great feedback on mine, which I appreciated a lot!  He gave me some adjustments in the beginning, but he knew I knew what I was doing or going for with this piece. So, I didn't need too much where I had to be walked through it entirely. Also, me being the brave lil soul I am, I volunteered to go first when we were split into smaller groups. They were like, "Who's brave enough to go first?"

My hand shot up in the air with this big Chesire Cat smile on my face that stretched from one ear to the other.

This was the first time I was getting feedback for my work on a monologue from someone I don't work with professionally on a regular daily basis. I actually started working on this monologue last year in September, so I had it down pretty good, but I still went over it with my coach throughout August. But I am - as of now - the most comfortable with this monologue, because Lisa Morrison and I are very similar in personality (if you ever read "Collected Stories" by Donald Margulies), and from what I've been told, you are hired and you book roles based on your temperment.

What was cool about the workshop was watching the Korean actors who did their monologues in Korean language! I had not a clue of what they were saying, because I'm not fluent in Korean, but I enjoyed listening to the native language. I loved the accents, of course! There were other actors there who did their monologues in English, so I wasn't alone in that department.

The next day was the big audition day, and believe it or not, when I was on my way to the city on the train, I started to cry a little bit. I didn't cry, because I was sad, I was crying because I was happy! I'm on the train, hoping not to smear my make-up, thinking, "I can't believe I am doing this! I don't know what I did to deserve it!"

Also, the truth is, THIS is the reason WHY I came to New York City. I came to persue my career in New York for two reasons: 1.) I wasn't in LA and 2.) something in my gut told me I'd have a better chance at finding auditions in New York than finding them in my hometown and that I belonged to the NYC acting industry. My hometown is mainly Caucasian, so unfortunately for me (or any other aspiring actor of color from Ocean County, NJ), the community theatre scene doesn't put on shows with characters of different ethnic backgrounds.  So, I got discouraged by the whole community theatre scene down here. That's when I decided to persue it in the city.  Lucky for me, it just so happened that my gut was right! :)

Going back to my audition:   I was in a room in front of eighteen directors and casting directors! Eighteen people, and here I am on a little stage doing my monologue with the lights beating down on me. I didn't get any direction, but I was listening to the girl before me, they didn't give her direction, either, because there was such a time crunch with this audition. I mean, these guys were spending the entire day auditioning a handful of Korean and Korean-American actors, so they had A LOT of people to see. A lot of monologues to listen to. However, at the end of my audition, I was greeted with a nice applause from the eighteen people I auditioned for and questions they randomly asked me. One of them asked if I performed this role before, which I'm not sure was good or bad. They would ask basic questions like, "What made you go into acting?" or "Where are you originally from?" But I was felt really confident being up there that stage, and I had a great time!

Whatever happens after that, I don't know, but it was a great experience! Would I do it again for the next set of auditions? ABSOLUTELY!

The only awkward thing about the entire audition AND the workshop? Getting applauded! I'm serious - I'm not used to that! I don't think I could ever get used to that. I know, it's funny. I'm fine doing everything else in front of people - monologues, scenes, improvisation. I even answered the questions with confidence, too, because I've grown used to speaking in front of a group of people after a while from going on auditions and networking, but then, I get applauded by a group of smiling directors and CD's, I freeze right in my spot, become extremely nervous, and in my mind, I am thinking, "Oh my God, they're clapping for me! What now?!"

After the auditions and seeing all of the Korean actors, they had an actors' mixer! My favorite part of being an actor is the networking part (as everyone knows)! I got to meet some of the directors, other Korean actors, whom I was so glad to meet, and I even got to connect with Dave Kim again, who was the one who emailed me an told me all about KAFFNY! I did an audition for Dave back in late June, and I thought I bombed that audition. I guess I didn't bomb it that baddly after all, because it lead me to this! I even - to the best of my ability - spread the word about both of my coaches! I also got to connect with Erica Cho (no relation), who knew me from being mentioned by my business coach on Twitter, and two friends of mine on Facebook named Jennivere Lee and Sora Baek.

(PS: This goes to show you -- be professional on the social networks, because you just never know who you might meet!)

I also noticed at the mixer that a lot of actors get so awkward when netowrking. Some of them were comfortable, while others stood in corners, not knowing what to say or do, so me, being the enthusiastic networking actor I am, I pulled a few of the shy ones out of the corner and got them talking to whomever I can grab for them. This is also why I am planning one of my up-coming blog entries about enjoying networking. I can't stress that enough!

Overall, it was a really great experience! I was glad to be apart of the auditions! I have no expectations after that, but after a whole month of putting my heart and soul into this auditon....I'm not used to everything coming to a halt all of the sudden. Now, I'm thinking of adding a fourth monologue to my pocket!

By the way:   I had only one goal that day...and that was to walk out of that audition HAPPY! Guess what? I achieved my goal that day! :) I noticed something: The more I go on these auditions, I come to realize what my goal REALLY is: to go in, give it my all, show them what I can and love to do, walk away KNOWING I did my best, and aspire to do better for the next one no matter what good amount of feedback I get! This career is all about the journey, and what a delightful journey it has been so far!

Last, but not least:

Thank you, again, for everyone's support on Twitter and on Facebook! I really appreciate the best wishes! AND big thank you to my coaches, Erin Cronican and Alan Gordon, for helping me prepare for this audition!

It only gets better after this, right? :)

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 043: ALL OF ME

2011-08-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars
TIME: 8:47 AM

Life can take you by surprise. In the beginning of my auditioning journey, I never imagined I'd get the number of auditions I've been getting. I thought maybe an audition here and there, maybe, but only for maybe student films or small theatre projects. Nothing big, nothing special. But to my surprise, I wound up with five auditions between April and August of this year, and now, I am preparing for an audition for the KOREAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK in two weeks!

That is an audition that really took me by surprise! And I remember asking both of my coaches, "What did I do? What happened?"

Okay, the logical answer to that is simple: I submitted my headshot and resume. That's what happened.

But really what I mean to say is this: "What makes me so special?", "Why do people want to see me?", "Why me? What do I have to offer? I don't get it!"

The interesting thing about going on these auditions is that little by little, I begin to discover what it is that I do have to offer; what it is that makes me unique, and when going to the auditions (if I book it), it's my job to show the director, producers, CD's, or whoever what it is that seperates me from every other Asian American female actor that they see before or after me.

One thing I think that seperates me from a lot of female actors is that I fall into the category of playing darker roles. I aim for the women who are vulerable, weak-willed, depressed. That sort of thing. The past couple of auditons - besides the Indonesian waitress - I played women with excess baggage. Women who have been through traumatic issues like a horrific life in North Korea, a punk rock bar tender in the Lower East Side of New York City, and a girl who locks herself in an itty-bitty bathroom to cry, because lives in a loft with eight other people.

Then, there are my monologues: Amanda Blue from "A Feminine Ending" by Sarah Treem. Lisa Morrison from "Collected Stories" by Donald Margulies. Jennifer Marcus from "The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow" by Rolin Jones. It's really ironic how important choosing a monologue is in the end!

Some female actors wouldn't want to play the girl who is afraid to stick up for herself or even afraid to step foot out of her own house or the girl who gives up on her hopes and dreams for a guy who is on the road to becoming a pop singing sensation. But I do! These are the roles I want to play, and to be honest, weak-willed women need a voice, too! Maybe I can be that voice, but it's up to me to bring that to the table to auditions!

In real life, though, I don't consider myself a weak-willed person at all or a depressed figure or twisted in any way, shape, or form. I have my demons and skeletons in the closet like almost every actor in New York City does, which works well for these dark roles. I have moments where my mind drifts into a fantasy, which helps for emotional preparation. I also have my nurturing side. I have a sunny side where I giggle excessively like a little kid in a candy store. I have my bitchy side, too, where I want to crack a whip and make people stand up and take notice when I enter the room. But when it comes to vulnerability and weakness, that's a side not a lot of actors can do - male or female. I think it's a side that a lot of actors are afraid to show...unless you're John Cazale (who is, btw, one of my favorite actors - one of the very few actors whom I look up to when it comes to performing).

My point is this: As performers, our job is make our characters LIVE as humanly possible. How else are we able to live? By bringing all of to the able. Our fears, sadness, joy, anger, etc. (Okay, I will confess: I am a very laid-back person, so, for me personally, it's really hard to conjure up my anger, especially since I have to do that for my Jenny monlogue. Not saying I don't get mad, but I'm very silent about it.).

Now, if your'e studying Meisner like me, you know that you can recall past experiences, however you can also rely on the power of your imagination, which is why I love it so much! :) You cannot censor yourself, which is something I've struggled with in the beginning of my studies. But most of all: You cannot watch yourself, either!

I think sometimes, as performers, we become really sensitive to a point where we worry too much about what others will think of us. Men are afraid to cry. Women are afraid to be submissive. But we shouldn't let that get in the way of being good performers....or from learning to be good performers. GREAT ones at that!

It takes A LOT of courage to be an actor (that I always knew), but it's not having the courage to go up on stage. It's having the courage to show the world who you really are deep down inside, and you can't worry about what other people are going to think about you. If you're ambitious and determined, you can't. First of all, acting is not for the faint of heart, and second, art is not safe.

But when it comes to me, I had to learn to lose my inhabitions. Learn to understand my own humanity and accept my feelings, whether I liked them or not. I guess you can say that I've fallen into the trap of wanting people to love me, and if I showed them my weaknesses, they wouldn't. But after a while, you think, "Who cares? Really, if I'm going to do this, I need to suck it up and just do it!"

There is an unfortunate time in the life of any ambitious young girl where she cares too much what other people think of her. Then, FORTUNATELY, something clicks, and then she says, "Fuck it!" and does what she feels is best for her reguardless of what others say or think of her! And once she gets into that frame of mind, all of her wishes and dreams come true!

Finally, now that I have gotten out of worrying about what others think, my studies in performing and the Meisner technique have improved. It's a slow process and not something I'm going to achieve within a couple of months, but it's getting there! So proud and happy!

There are days where I still feel underestimated and I wonder if I will ever conjure up anger so I can finally nail my Jenny monologue. Maybe in time I will.

But at the end of the day, never underestimate the power of an ambitious young girl. No matter where she comes from, if she's outspoken or shy, in her 20's or 30's, or what color or size or height she may be, if she's ambitious, dedicated to her goals, believes in herself, and works hard for what she wants, do not doubt she will someday rule the world! :)

However, I'm not in this to someday rule the world. I'm in this, because I love what it I do. I need to do what I do! I feel like I would die if I didn't do this! I've learned a lot about life and different cultures because of this profession, and for someone who loves to learn, it's amazing! I am hungry for knowledge! That's why I am an actor. That's why I am here to stay! :)

Be bold and great things will come to you." - Anonymous

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 042: BEST. AUDITON. EVER! :D

2011-07-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "All About Tonight" by Pixie Lott
TIME: 9:26 AM

I had THE BEST audition ever on Tuesday! :)

Now, don't get me wrong here: I'm not in the mind frame of "Oh my goodness, this role is gonna be mine" or anything like that. I'm just really glad I had a great audition!

I got this auditon from a colleague of mine named Brooke, who has a friend of her's who is film maker, and he was looking for Asian female actors for a part in his project. Going into the importance of networking as an actor, Brooke remembers me from the NY Actors' TweetUp from April, and she messaged me about the part and her film maker pal through Facebook, and the discription of the role. She's a Chinese-American girl who lives in a loft with eight other people. She's really depressed, and the only time she has "alone time" where she can cry is when she is in the bathroom, pretending to do her "business". When I read the character discription for this role, I knew immediately I wanted to auditon for it, and I already had the image of what this bathroom looked like in my mind.

Have you ever seen the toilet seat cover to the Rolling Stones album, Beggar's Banquet? That's how I imagined what the bathroom looked like - or similar in that fashion, only the space is extremely small and stuffy. Not a fun place to cry, isn't it? Of course, I'm not going to imagine this girl crying in a bathroom that looks like these - click me. If that were the case, I might as well picture this girl lighting some votive candles, pouring some fresh scented bubble bath, and hop into the jacuzzi tub and relax. No need to be in a group therapy session for a moment like that, right?

I really liked this character and I liked the sides I was given to work on for my audition, so I had fun working on them! I think this is the most fun I even had preparing for an audition, too! I think that helps a lot when you're about to go to an adution, because before I go on one, the big question I always get from everybody, especially from non-actors, is: "Are you nervous?"

I will admit, like everyone else who put themselves out there, I have gotten nervous at auditions, but lately, I haven't! Well, the past few auditions I've been to I wasn't nervous. As long as you go over your sides and really prepare yourself for your audition, there's really no need to be nervous! As long as you're not in your head, then you REALLY don't have a reason to be nervous! Even though I was off-book for this audition, I didn't think nor worry about the dialogue. I just let it all flow out of me like it was nothing at all, and it made my job A LOT easier, too!

See, my issue is that I'm a total perfectionist, and I hate to screw up. I have to get things right, and I have that "learn fast or die" frame of mind, which isn't good for...well, anyone really, especially if they want to learn to be really good at something. When I immediately screw up on something, I stop myself and quickly try to fix it. That is a NO-NO when auditioning or performing in theatre. Being that way also gets you caught in your head, which I, or any other performer, isn't supposed to do and shouldn't do. That also leads to the notion of "hoping" to have a good audition! But my actng coach gave me some really important auditioning advice after we went over the sides during our last session: "Unprepared actors hope. Prepared actors don't."

And you know what? That helped...A LOT! :)

My audition sides - or at least the ones I used
to prepare with.:) They gave me new ones
during the actual audition without all the writing.

My business coach advised me to get myself an auditioning journal, where I can write down my auditioning experiences! My last audition prior to the one I had on Tuesday for was so disappointing, because I stifled my impulses so much. And I think I went in there expecting too much. This one, I went in there expecting really nothing at all. I didn't expect to see a camera. I didn't expect to see a certain amount of people. I just...went there and to try and recover from the blazing hot weather as a matter of fact!

Ironically, the audition was at the same place where Erin Cronican hosts the Bite-Size business soirees! And I saw one of her pamphlets there, and I tweeted it on Twitter. I was thinking, "Oh wow, this is a good sign!" So, I kind of used it as a good luck charm per say. But the truth is, luck is created through working hard and preparing yourself for these auditions. And I jotted that down in my journal, so from this moment on, auditions are going to be fun! No pressure. No obsessing over sides. Just prepare and do my best!

And when I walked out, knowing I did my best, that's all that mattered to me. If I get it, great. If not, who cares? I rocked it! :) AND this is the first audition I've had that I've gotten feedback and was given direction from the director! THAT made me REALLY HAPPY! :)

The auditioning process will only get better from here on up! :)

Also, that day, I got my birthday gift from myself to myself. I actually returned to Improvisation/Meisner Technique class with Alan Gordon! :) I am being told that I'm beginning to show improvment as a performer, which is great news! So, with that being said, it's now time to develop some serious performance range, which I am looking forward to! And the great thing about these auditions, it gives me a chance to perform, to exercise my acting skills in front of people who never met or heard of me before. It gives me a chance to learn to walk on my own and take what I learn from my coaches.

I have a feeling, no matter where this career of mine takes me, it's going to be one interesting journey! SOOOOO looking forward to it! :)

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 041: MAKE A WISH

2011-07-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Moment 4 Life" by Nicki Minaj and Drake
TIME: 7:59 PM

Well, here it is! It's JULY! Summertime is here, and in one week, I will be THIRTY! Yes, I am going to be starting a new decade and a whole new phase in life! I know, most girls freak out once they turn 30, and believe me, it's unbelievable! But I am actually excited about turning 30, because I feel like this is a chance for me to really reinvent myself. I'm not talking about changing my career, but maybe really push myself out there. You know? Like really believe in myself! I'm not saying I don't, but I have my days. I think we all do no matter what position we are in when it comes to our careers. One minute, we get all enthusiastic, and then next minute, we feel like giving up. I have my days, I'm not going to lie. Sometimes, I look at other actors who are new and wonder what they have that I don't that is helping them book auditions and roles. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to throw the towel in. As tough as this industry IS, there's somethng about it that keeps me here.

Well, for one, I am at the beginning of the journey still! I am beginning to learn how to hold myself in an audition and I am still learning how to perform. Also, when it comes to writing the cover letters when submitting my headshot and resume, I am learning to find my confidence that way. Learning how to be professional per say. So, learning all of these things while doing what I do, that's what keeps me going....and yearning for more!

But what makes all of this really cool is the support system I have been getting lately from friends and colleagues in this industry and outside of it. Now, I'm not one who mixes my professional life with my personal life. I keep my personal friends AND family far, far away from my career. No, really I do! Most of my friends and my family AREN'T the artsy types really, anyways, where art has been my passion since I was a little kid. Like if I come home from an audition or from my classes, I don't talk to them about it. It's just "hi" and "goodbye", and that's cool with me. Some of my personal friends, though, are very supportive! That I am very thankful for! But the great thing about networking and connecting with other people in this industry who get it! Who understand the struggle, the frustration, but the joy as well!

See, I may sound naive saying this, but I think there is a lot of joy in our careers! If you connect with really genuine people, you do find that there is no greater feeling than having a strong support system. The ones who pick you up when you feel down. The ones who keep on cheering you on even when you feel like you don't have it in your anymore! For me, that's what keeps me going! It's a great feeling, and I am very thankful for that! I also think there's more to the actors' life than a paycheck or the need to be recognized or the desire to be "discovered" or to be on top of the world. I mean, those things DO sound nice, but really -- look at what we are doing! We are in a world and an industry that NOT A LOT of people get to witness! We are getting a taste of something unique!

Believe me, whenever I am in New York, even just networking or just walking down the street, I am STILL in AWE like, "I can't believe I am here!"

Being an actor is TOUGH and it's A LOT of hard work. It requires a lot of work, because it's more than just being an entertainer. Honestly, though, I enjoy the hard work behind it, and I'd actually be pretty bored if it was just all about being a good performer. I thank my lucky stars, my guardian angels, the Higher Being, or whoever that I am alive to experience every second of it! Not a lot of people get to exerpience a life like this, so I think no matter where we are in life or in our careers, we should thankful, because even when we aren't happy with where we are, we get to wake up the next morning with the opprotunity to change it! We can learn something new about the business and ourselves as a person. In fact, every morning you wake up, you have the chance to go out and make your dreams come true.

Well, now that my life as a 20-something year old is coming to a close within a week, I find myself really wanting to want to reinvent myself! I want to be more strongminded! I want to be braver! I want to be a better actor and keep on going with my training! I want to be a smarter business girl! I also want to be smarter in general! I'm not going to be all these things if I give up, right? Also, I would love to learn how to walk in stilettos! Hey, you never know when that "skill" might come in handy! Auditioning for the role of the femme fatale? :D

Okay, since it is my birthday coming up, I do confesss that I AM getting myself a really, really cool birthday present this year! Not saying what it is, though, until afterwards! But I am closing this blog saying this: Wherever life takes me, I AM GOING TO MAKE THE NEXT TEN YEARS THE GREATEST YEARS OF MY LIFE!!!!!! :D

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 040: CAREER LIFE ON FACEBOOK

2011-06-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Fast and Frightening" by L7
TIME: 1:41 PM

The merry month of June has been a really busy and full-filling month for me in the business/promoting department of my career, which is a good thing, because now that I am beginning to put myself out there in auditions and whatnot, I kind of feel I lack a sense of professionalism. In a few previous blogs, I always say that I am "trying" to hold my own at auditions with being professional, but I feel this great lack of knowledge, where I am thinking, "What the hell am I doing?"

And don't get me wrong here: I know I shouldn't be hard on myself, because I AM still learning. And - if you'll allow me to pat myself on the head here a little bit - I do think I do pretty good when I'm at auditions, but I can always do better! :) I mean, I do my work pretty good, but when it comes to being Cristina, the non-performer...what do I do? How do I act when I'm not doing my sides or trying out for the role? Am I even supposed to say anything at all when I'm not spoken to or asked to look at the camera, state my name and the role I'm trying out for? You know...those sort of things. I guess my shyness gets in the way when this happens, too, because I could either talk just fine or I'm pretty quiet.

In all honesty, though, this is the fun part about my "job" as an actor. You're supposed to keep on learning something new and being open to the advice around you. You don't always have to take it, but if it works for you, why not take it? :)

I'm actually a bit sleepy as I type this blog. I just woke up like two hours ago, because last night, I treated myself to a night out in the city! I figured I would, because all month of June, I've been helping Alan promote his Cold-Reading/Audition technique workshop yesterday (which, by the way, was REALLY awesome! SO MUCH FUN!). I thought, "Why not? Let's unwind!" I had the BEST strawberry margarita and chicken/mushroom fetticune alfredo dinner at Ruby Tuesday's that was absolutely to DIE FOR. And by 11 pm, I went to Pig-N-Whistle, where we hold the New York Actors' TweetUp, got myself a Miller Light, and started talking to this cool girl named Britney, who happened to be a concert promoter from Cleveland, Ohio who was in New York on business.

I was sitting at the bar, having my beer, listening to this band play a rock version of "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls (*haha*), and we just started to talk. I asked her for some promoting advice, because with the workshop and with myself, I could use any sort of promoting advice I can, even though I have to say, I am good at pretty good at promoting and marketing. It's just a matter of where I can do it since everyone now-a-days displays their entire lives on the social networks. Well, Britney told me about this site called ConstantContact.com, which might not benefit me, per say, but could benefit probably anyone who has a service business or production company in our industry. But aside from that, she also told me that enthusiasm helps. If you're passionate for what you're promoting, that helps a great deal! Not saying I'm passionate or I am enthusiastic about myself, in general, but my career, yes, I am!

One of the things I didn't put any real thought into was making a Facebook page. Now, don't get me wrong here, I haven't been living under a rock for the past seven years Facebook has been online or when MySpace was the big thing. I've always had a Facebook profile, but my Facebook profile is private if you're not on my friends' list....and I perfer to keep it that way, thank you very much! But the problem is, about 200 million people are on Facebook, and this doesn't include an average Joe or Jane like you'd see at the supermarket. We're talking about small businesses to big chain businesses. Casting Directors. Acting schools. Acting coaches, both alive and (believe it or not) dead. Even Sanford Meisner has a Facebook and the man has been gone for the past fourteen years.

It's amazing how many people rely on Facebook now-a-days! It almost seems like even as an actor, having a Facebook account is a MUST. The thing is, though, I don't want random people who aren't in any way related to me career-wise on my professional profile. Especially the ones who claim they are in the business, but aren't. So, my other option was the Facebook fan page. You know the fan pages where you have to hit the LIKE button to get status updates and to be able to write on their walls? Those things.

I didn't have any interest or felt I had the need to create one, because being a new actor in New York, I don't have anything to show for myself except for my headshots, a couple of self-portraits, and that's it. Also, I was thinking, "Why would any really bother? I'm nobody." But then, I told myself, "Don't make it, because you feel you have to attract people to you. Do it to promote yourself on your website!" So, once I got out the frame of mind of making it to attract admirers, I created a fan page. And here it is:

Cristina Cho's official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/cristinachoactor

I'm glad I did it, too, because I feel this is a good way to promote myself! Also, I've noticed that because I am a new actor, people seem to think that's pretty cool. At networking events or when I meet new people, people become curious about me like they want to know what my goals are, what kind of roles I'm interested in playing, who or what inspires me, what kind of movies I watch, etc. So, I guess having very little to show for myself has it's perks! This seems to make people endear themselves to me and want to share their advice and career experiences with me, which is nice. But being that I've been working with my acting coach for five years, working with my business coach for two years, and got my first headshot in New York back in 2005, I really am not brand-spanking new anymore. I am "relatively new", but still, being everyone I've met in this business so far has been very welcoming, people like that about me, I think. I guess a lot of people want to see my strive and grow, especially both of my coaches. So, I guess I created my page at good timing! :)

Another plus to this: I can advertise it on my website, which I already have, because I've added a LIKE button on my intro, which just automatically takes care of it, that way when I go to my profile and I see a strange name of some random person who will either make me feel like it's no biggie or totally creep me out, I don't have to worry no more. They can just go to the Facebook page, LIKE me there, and that takes care of that. Easy as pie!

The only thing is is now I have to try and keep up with it, so having the Facebook page also helps me be more ambitious with my career. With people watching you, now, there is a little more pressure, which is fine, because a little bit of extra pressure don't hurt. But when typing out my info, I was baffled, too, because I didn't want to repeat what I put down in my personal and professional bio from my website, so I had to type a totally new desciption of myself. I'm pleased with it! I also advertise it on my profile, too, with a little THANK YOU message to everyone who has joined. The only thing I HAVE to get used to is switching the accounts from CRISTINA CHO to CRISTINA CHO - ACTOR.

I really think I'm going to like having this page! (No pun intended)!

So, my question to you is.....care to join me? Come on over! :)

http://www.facebook.com/cristinachoactor

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 039: WORKSHOP, TWEETUP, AND OTHER NEW THINGS

2011-06-02T22:27:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Shiver" by The Birthday Massacre
TIME: 9:40 PM

I LOVE the month of June! Both June and May are always my favorite months, because that's when the weather begins to warm up, and unfortunately for me, I am one of those people who gets cold pretty easily, so once May comes around the corner, I get so psyched for the warm weather! And when June comes, that's when I get REALLY psyched, because that's when the summer weather comes - at least the good summer weather! You know? The easy, beautiful summer breeze before the sticky, humid summer weather we get in July and August! It's so disgusting!

Seriously, God bless the man or woman who invented air conditioning, especially central air conditioning! Then again, because I do get cold easily, I have a sort of love-hate thing for air conditioning, depending on how high or how low the temp is, because another issue I have is that I also get HOT easily, too! I can't win either way in July and August.

Anywho, I'm not here to blog about air conditioning, although that would make for a really interesting topic for an actor's blog, wouldn't it? Actually, if you also think about it, air conditioning can also mess up a performer's voice, too. Makes me glad that I'm not a musical theatre actor, although I do need to have a crystal clear voice still when I audition or am in class or even performing in general. A good voice and good diction are uber-important when you're an actor - singer or not!

There - I've managed to link air conditioning with something having to do with my industry as oppose to my personal well-being! How do you like them apples? XD

OKAY, ON TO WHAT I REALLY AM TRYING TO BLOG ABOUT NOW: *applause*

Actually, in this blog entry, I am doing some shameless promoting!

This one I have to mention first, because it is something I am pretty much "co-hosting".

The Player's Theatre located at 115 MacDougal St. in NYC - this is where the magic happens! :)

COLD-READING/AUDITION TECHNIQUE WORKSHOP:   Alan Gordon, my acting coach whom I enthusiastically vouch for whenever I can, has created a Cold-Reading/Audition Technique Workshop on June 18th at the Player's Theatre, and to my surprise, guess who is listed on the Facebook invite as the "co-hostess"?

Yup - ME! The one who is starting to get herself out there in the big city and learn the auditioning ropes herself is co-hosting an audition workshop! Ironic, huh?!

I don't know how this happened or what made him want to put me down as the co-host. I guess it's because I've been trying in all my small amount of power to try and help him promote the event on Facebook, Twitter, HerFuture.com, the Actors' Enterprise group on Yahoo!, and wherever else I can.  Basically, I just got a notification on my Droid from my Facebook app, saying I had a new event invite, and I open it up, see the invite to the workshop, and see my name next to Alan's as the co-creator or co-host! I was really surprised, but I was pleasantly surprised! My reaction was like, "Whhhaaaat...?" - sort of like they do on "Family Guy". I am happy to be co-hosting the workshop, and since it's our event now, I feel it is appropriate to promote it as much as I can!

BTW: This doesn't mean I am going to be training anybody or teaching the workshop or speaking in front of anyone -- I'm NOT a coach. This is really Alan's moment to be in the spotlight - his moment to shine. I am just here to support him and in doing so, I've been feeling like his assistant in this, which is totally cool with me! We've been working together and known each other for five years now, and all this time of him being my coach, he's been really genuine with me!  One thing I've been advised about by both of my coaches is that one of the important key elements about networking in our industry it is also about giving back to the ones who've helped and support you. And Alan has done a lot to help me out, so I am hoping I can do the same for him with this! *crosses fingers*

What's going to happen during the workshop is Alan goes over the following:

- Constructing the 1st moment
- Emotional preparation
- Fantasy exercises to enhance your creative imagination
- Identifying relationships to people, places, things and events to bring specificity to your work
- Beat changes
- Creating urgency by raising the stakes
- The importance of the element of truth
- The uses of the "magic if"
- Getting off the page
- Pacing
- Developing an insatiable curiosity
- Working from instinct
- Finding the meanings through your body not your head
- Leaving yourself alone

Usually, during the workshop, he would have us all come up front and do a scene, so we can demonstrate what he is teaching. We are required to bring a scene in with us to work on at the workshop, but in case you're interested in attending our event and you don't bring a scene - don't worry, both Alan and I will have extras! :) But seriously - if you do have a scene you want to work on, I do recommend you bring it in with you.

ANOTHER THING -- bring a notebook, too, because note-taking is a requirement, and if you're going to be experiencing, for the first time, what I've been working with for past five years, you don't want to miss out or forget anything!

If you're intersted in coming to our event, please email Alan at ajg0103@yahoo.com to confirm with him. You can also view our event invite on Facebook to confirm as well - it's an open invitation to anyone who is interested.

Okay, before I close the promoting to this event, I want to direct you to some links.

First, if you want to know more about Alan Gordon, you can visit his website at http://www.alangordonstudio.com/ for further information. Also, you can find him on Facebook at his official fan page and you can follow him on Twitter at @ajg0103.

Oh and don't just listen to MY testimonial on him. Go to his page on ActorRated.com and read the reviews from his other students, including some of my classmates and colleagues, and see what they are saying about him. I'm proud to say that he is currently the top acting coach in New York on that page, too!

Hope you can make it to our event! Thank you! xoxo

Erin Cronican and Marissa Mutascio - taken one year ago at the FIRST TweetUp! :D

NY ACTORS' TWEETUP ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY: June 6th is going to be the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY celebratin of the NY Actors' TweetUp, which is hosted by Erin Cronican, my business coach whom I also enthusiastically vouch for, and Marissa Mutascio, whom I've gotten to known over the couple of TweetUps and she's always lifted my spirits up with her support! Both women are super-women and are geniuses for bringing the TweetUp to New York from L.A. Incase you don't know the history of the NY Actor's TweetUp, here's a little history for you via Erin Cronican:

"Marissa and I had been following each other on Twitter for a while. One day, she and I remarked how Los Angeles had just completed a very successful Tweetup, and we were envious. A few days later, Marissa contacted me personally and asked if I might be interested in helping her plan the event. She said that she was impressed with the number of people I knew in NYC through being an actor and a coach, and if there was one thing she knew about acting, it's that you network with people that offer something you can learn from. I agree- Marissa brings a can-do spirit and a willingness to do whatever it takes to reach her goals, which is always inspiring! So, we collaborated, with a little help from our friends in LA (especially @BenWhitehair) and the 1st NYC Tweetup was underway!"

It's amazing, too, because time really flies, and it feels like yesterday, I took this photo of them when they had their first TweetUp at the Bullmoose Salon. Now, they hold it at the Pig-n-Whistle, and I, personally, like Pig-n-Whistle very much! I even went in there one night without my actor cap on and bought myself a Miller Light on a Friday night just because I liked the place so much. I can't believe it's been a year already! I mean, I even feel I just wrote my first blog entry about it, too!

Also, thank goodness for the TweetUps, because I was able to meet some really great people throughout each event. I love meeting new people, and I really am glad to have met everyone that I've met so far! There are some people I've grown very fond of and have kept in touch with on Facebook and Twitter! Everyone who attends this event is so nice, really interesting and unique in their own special way. Even if you're very shy or awkward when it comes to networking, you always find someone who is going to make you feel comfortable, welcomed, and right at home. The only hard thing about the TweetUp, I guess for me, is because I've gone to so many, I have to swim across the room to say hi to so many people!

Actors are busy people, so it's hard to see your industry pals, because someone's doing a play or at rehearsals or doing some sort of project or studying their scenes or monologues for class. So, it's always a joy and a great pleasure to see everyone again! :)

Okay, so if you're interested in attending the One Year Anniversary celebration, please do! You can view the event invite on Facebook for further detail! Also, to get in touch with everyone and to hear about future events, join the Facebook group or follow the NY ActorsTweetUp on Twitter at @NYActorsTweetUp.

And I've blogged about the TweetUp a couple of times:   One about the one in June 2010 and the other from February 2011.

REALLY fun event! I hope you don't miss it! :D

IN CONCLUSION:   I had an audition on the 21st of May, which was, ironically, a cold-reading auditon. I had fun doing it, but I was kind of disappointed in myself, because I felt stifled. I guess that's a sure-fire signal that I need to go into technique/improv class so I can learn to loosen up a bit. But again, I have no regrets about it, becasue like I said before, even if I do bomb an audition or don't do as great as I hope to, I still chalk it up as a learning experience. I also have to remind myself that I have a long way to go, still, and a lot to learn! Hopefully, the auditioning process will get easier as time goes by.

The good news to all this, though, is that I'm finally learning to be more comfortable with scenes. I haven't yet done one of my monologues, but I still have them embedded into my brain. The beginning of my career is still - and always has been - enjoyable! :D

Last Thursday, I did my very first table reading for a brand new script written by Ross Carey. That was an interesting experience! And Erin was there with me, not as a coach, but because she was reading the lead female character. It was great having her there, because it made me feel more comfortable, even though I got nervous when introducing myself to everyone. I've never done a table reading prior to this for a new anything. I was glad and honored to be asked to participate in it. Yay!

All of this is new to me! I love learning the ropes, and I have to admit, because this is the beginning, these are moments I'm never going to ever experience ever again. You're only new once in this industry or in anything that you allow yourself to grab onto.  For a small-town girl who once lived a sheltered life to be able to touch and see these things for the first time and do it all in the GREATEST city in the world....it's impossible to put it into words sometimes! It's amazing! :D

I mean, I don't know where all of this is going to take me, but I don't have any high expectations of myself or anything. The goals I create for myself are small and I don't go into anything grandiose unless I am sure of where I am going. I am the type of girl who will follow something small and simple, achieve it (if I do or can), and then I will see what it is that needs to be done next or what it is I really want to do. Then I would turn it into my next goal and try to achieve that one. However, I might as well go with the flow, get out there, and be the best Cristina Cho I can be! It's really all I can do, but it's something I'm happy to do! It does, however, lead to something. It always does!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 038: ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

2011-05-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Connected" by Ayumi Hamasaki
TIME: 4:40 PM

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!

Nancy Kwan in Flower Drum Song (1961)

I am so glad that there is a month where my culture and my heritage is honored and celebrated, and I know it sounds mighty cheesey, but try looking at this from my point of view, not as a regular human being who walks the streets of New York City on a rainy day with her clear umbrella that she bought in the east village. Instead, trying looking at this from my point of view as a aspiring performer and a brand-new actor in the industry.

I am a Korean-American adoptee. I grew up in a small suburban town called Brick, New Jersey, and growing up, going to school, attending friends' birthday parties, being a girl scout, I was either one of the very few or the only minority in the group. I used to sit in front of the television and watch cartoons or listened to music coming from the record player or radio, where my love for the arts began. However, all my life, even when looking at some of my classmates, my family, and even watching my childhood shows, and even sometimes playing with my collection of Barbie dolls, I always felt out of place. I used to wonder where all the people who looked like me were? How come there isn't a single black-haired girl with dark brown almond-shaped eyes on television as the leading lady or a pop singer out there who looks like me (besides Yoko Ono -- as much as I admired her, I used to be disturbed by her voice when I was little)?

I had a couple of Asian Barbie dolls, like Dana from the Barbie and the Rockers line-up, and when I was at my rope's end of not seeing a lot of story books with Asian characters, I started my own about a Japanese girl named Sara. I was the author of those stories and I was also the illustrator to those little story books I wrote. It was really funny, too, because I remember telling my mom about the story and I said somewhere along the lines that Sara was the daughter of the president of Japan. Obviously, when you're like five or six, you don't realize that Japan is a monarchy and doesn't have a president or that English isn't the first langauge over there, either.

For me, Sara was MY Barbie doll; MY heroine; MY role model, and MY princess. She had everything a little girl could dream of: a big fancy house, cool clothes, attended fun parties. She also had lots of friends - her two best friends were a Chinese American and a Korean American. I even wrote a story about her sixteenth birthday party taking place in a roller skating rink where she and her friends took over the ENTIRE roller skating rink.

Now, looking back at that moment in my childhood now, I did it, because of the lack of Asians in the media. You know when you're a little girl, you want to find a princess or female role model to look up to and say, "Wow, if she can do it, then I can do it, too!" -- you know what I am talking about, right? Growing up, I never had that role model who looked like me, so in a way, I felt robbed from that sense of joy. However, ironically, despite the lack of Asian role models in my life, it never crossed my mind that I couldn't make something out of myself.

I always knew, growing up in a small suburb near the Jersey shore, that I WASN'T in that small-town frame of mind. I NEVER was. I didn't like the idea of going to college for a regular profession after high school graduation. I didn't care to get married or to have kids, and even as I approach the big 3-0 within a few months, I still don't have any aspirations of being married or having a family. It's not my personal cup of tea right now. I've always been fascinated by big cities: New York City, Los Angeles, Paris, London. I would look at the New York City skyline whenever we visited my aunt and uncle in Jersey City and wonder what that life would be like. I remember going out to LA back in 2003, I was so in love with the city, that when we went back to Jersey, I cried my eyes out as the plane lifted into the air from LAX. Yet most of all, I've always wanted to make something out of myself FIRST and FOREMOST.

Anna May Wong

What an usual career I've chosen for that theory, right?! XD I know, I know....but then again, you just never know, right? Life does take some unique twists and turns, believe me! :)

In a small way, I am living that city life dream now! There's just one itty-bitty thing that hasn't made a full 180 yet, and that is the Asian role model. Then again, I feel really blessed now, because I am beginning to nurture my career aspirations during a time period where I am getting audition notices through email where they are asking for Asian actors. Now with it being Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I would go on Twitter, do a tweet, and somewhere, another Asian actor would post an article about the Asian actors before myself who've opened the doors in Hollywood, from Anna May Wong (who has become my role model - finally, my search is over) to Nancy Kwan. And the cool thing about all this, as I learn something new about my career, I find that somewhere at one point in time, there WAS an Asian actor - male or female - who was opening that door for myself and my fellow Asians who are actors.

They were ALWAYS there, but I didn't know they were! Philip Ahn, who happens to be the first Asian actor to recieve a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Miyoshi Umeki, the first (and so far only) Asian actor to receieve an Oscar! And although I am not a huge fan of musicals, I was so amazed and so proud when I first watched Flower Drum Song, because a HUGE percentage of the cast were Asian! For me, personally, seeing these things brings me hope. Not because I am in this for stardom or fame or the glamour - oh, goodness NO! But because finally, after all these years, I can look at these guys and say, "Wow, if they can do it, then I can do it, too!"

I am not sure where this is all going to take me, and as my career moves on, I make little goals for myself instead of big ones. Right now, I am going over scenes with my coach and I'm trying to get the hang of writing a descent cover letter when submitting my headshot and resume. I am also learning to be better at auditioning. I am also no the most professional of the bunch, so I'm learning to do that, too. I've got a looooooong way to go, and I'm beginning to come to the realization that I'm not going to learn everything within a single year. Therefore, I have to be more patient and understand that this is a marathon and not a race. So, my goal, right now at this very moment, is to learn how to better myself in these things. I really don't have any huge goals, because I create them as I go along. I have ideas in my mind, but I can't say they are goals just yet, because first and foremost, I have to work harder with what I am trying to do right now. If I find that I can pull through what I am trying to do now, that is when I create a new objective for myself. That's the joy of being a beginner in this profession! And it really does help having good people who are willing to work with me with these goals on my side as well! :)

However, at the same time, when I look at the articles that talk about the Asian actors of the past and present for this month, it also makes me a little sad, too. Reason being is because despite the fact that I am happy where I am and that I am finding it fun being at the very beginning, I also feel that all of my hopes and dreams are so far away from me. Every once in a while, I am plagued with the fear of what if I don't become better at auditioning and I begin to bomb? What if I sound like a fool when writing these cover letters? What I don't become a better performer? Along with the fear of that, there is also the fear of what if I work my ass off and I get nowhere? What if I'm wasting my time?

Miyoshi Umeki and Pat Suzuki

Yet that is when I have to stay calm and remind myself that I'm still at the very beginning, and throughout all this, I have to be patient yet seize as many opportunities as I can. To be realistic about this profession I've chosen, I still need to maintain a steady day job to be able to go to the city, go to my coaching sessions, and to network. I need to perk up! I need to work harder, too, or else, YES -- I won't become a better performer. I will bomb my auditions. I will sound like a fool when writing a cover letter. That is when I will realize that I will get nowhere and I will waste my time. I also need to give myself a break now and then, even if I don't want to. It sounds stressful and it sounds crazy, but do I believe it's worth it? Absolutely!

No matter what this profession may bring me, I still stay optimistic! That's another thing my storybook character, Sara, was, too. She was optimistic! She had fun no matter where she went, wherever she was in her life! Even when I wrote the story of her turning into a werewolf, she still had fun while knocking down neighbors' garbage cans in the middle of the night and eventually getting grounded for it! She was unique, and if I were to publish those stories later on in life, she'd stand out from all the other story book heroines in her own way. Sounds quite familiar to a little something having to do with our careers, doesn't it?

Things take time. You need to be patient, but you also need to be assertive. You have to understand so much being in this profession, and whoever is reading this, reguardless of your heritage, if you have the same fears as I do, I hope I can at least shine a little bit of light for you. I hope after you're done reading this, you can at least say, "Wow, if she can do it, then I can do it, too!"

I guess if I stay in this frame of mind, maybe someday...I will no longer feel my hopes and dreams are far so far away. Maybe next year, I will feel closer to those dreams of mine whenever they talk about Anna May Wong or Nancy Kwan or Miyoshi Umeki or Philip Ahn! Or even Sandra Oh (even though she's actually Canadian) or Lucy Liu or John Cho (no relation). No matter where this all takes me, I DO promise myself that I will achieve my goals - small ones first and then, I will weave bigger and better ones!

Like I said before....you just never know, right? Life DOES take some unique twists and turns, believe me! :)

Well, no matter what your ethnic background may be or where you are in life career-wise, I think it's important to celebrate your victories, no matter how small or how big they are! If you're new like me, celebrate the beginning of a new adventure! If you've been doing it for a long time, feel glad that you've done something in this lifetime that most people haven't done before. Be proud that you are where you are, because no matter how little or big your achievements are, past or present, you DO inspire others! You just don't know it! :)

Then again...these are just little things I need to remind myself every now and then, too! :) No worries!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 037: MARTHA GRAHAM TO AGNES DE MILLE

2011-05-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "St. Louis Blues" by Bessie Smith
TIME: 4:15 PM

Martha Graham

Two years ago when I was on my way to a networking party in New York, some guy I met very briefly on the train sent this to me. He was Jewish and he saw me on the NJ Transit wearing the everyday chai charm I wear and was touched by the fact I was wearing it (I also have the same symbol tattooed on my right wrist -- see?).

So, in return, after telling him why I travel to New York City, giving him a little bit of info about my career, he emailed this. I, personally, am very fond of it! It comes from the great, legendary Martha Graham (whose 117th birthday is today -- well, that is if she were still here with us today), and she's addressing this to her long-time friend and fellow dancer, Anges De Mille, back in 1943.

Well, to whoever is reading this blog at the moment - whether you agree with it....or not, it's your call, but I hope this shines a light on your hopes, your dreams, your passions, and everything else that lies deep within your heart and soul.

KEEP SMILING!!!!! :)

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Agnes De Mille

To Agnes De Mille

There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening

that is translated through you into action,

and because there is only one of you in all time,

this expression is unique.

And If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.

The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable it is
nor how it compares with other expressions.

It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly
to keep the channel open.
You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.
You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate YOU.

Keep the channel open...
No artist is pleased...

There is no satisfaction whatever at anytime
There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction
a blessed unrest that keeps us marching
and makes "us" MORE alive than the others.

Martha Graham

MIND CANDY 036: NOT JUST A JERSEY GIRL NO MORE

2011-04-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Judas" by Lady Gaga
TIME: 12:08 AM

I know, I know - it is rather late, and yeah, I have to be up for work in the morning at 5:30 AM, but I am so excited, because this month has brought me nothing, but hope, inspiration, joy, and surprises that have been leaving me speechless!

So, as you all already know: I am officially auditioning now! So far, I've had the Columbia University audition, but a few days later on, to my greatest surprise, I booked an auditon for LAW AND ORDER CRIMINIAL INTENT! The reason why that was a big surprise, for me, was because I'm very early in my career. Obviously, I'm not a union member to SAG or AEA or AFTRA or anything like that, so the fact that I could book an audition for that show....OH MY GOD!

I swear to you, when I booked that audition, I was shaking! My hands were shaking and I had to calm myself down a little bit before I can spread the news on Facebook, Twitter, and even be able to text BOTH of my coaches! I was really IN SHOCK! I had to pull myself together to be able to even talk normally on the phone with both Erin and Alan or to even read the sides they sent me through email! I mean, even when I think about it 'til this day, my heart still races!

How I spotted this audition was through the email notification from Actors' Access, because they were solely looking for an Asian actor to play a Chinese American punk girl. The role was only a few lines, but hey it was a role! I guess they call them "dayplayers" or "under fives"...I don't know what they are called anymore? But anywho...as surprised and as happy I was doing this audition, I also asked myself, "Isn't it too eary to be auditioning for this?"

Actually, it was good that I booked this audition, because it showed me that anything is possible, despite the fact that I'm really new to this business! And it gave me a chance to test my business skills, because next to an audition at Columbia University, this was a more prestigous audition, where I had to KNOW the show as if I've been watching it since it's premiere in 2001. I also had to know who it was I was auditioning for, even though it was just Kevin from the casting agency and myself, understand how the dialogue is delivered, and bring in a lot of my own personal attitude to this role. So, it was a challenge and a stretch, but it was worth going to the audition!

Thank goodness, though, because my coaches are really, really, really awesome, because the both of them called me once they recieved the news to give me some advice on this audition. Alan went over my sides with me. Erin told me how to present myself and my work. So, it worked out nicely! =)

Honestly, though, when I go to these auditions, I'm glad to be able to do so, but the more I observe my surroundings and the position I am, I tell myself that I still have A LOT to learn! I mean, auditions are so new to me! Most of the time, I am confident that I can hold my own in them and be as professional as anyone whose been doing this longer than me, but other times, I feel naive and I have not a clue of what I am doing. But this is the great thing about being a beginner in this profession.

To tell you the truth, if you're a beginner at this profession, you have to take everything in as a learning experience. Even if I bombed at my auditions, I still have to chalk them up as learning experiences. Even if I felt I walked away with a good, successful audition where I did my best, I still need to know what it is I did right, what it is I did wrong, what it is I need to work on, etc. There's no such thing as the "perfect" performance or the "perfect" audition, and I think as an artist, it is very important to be able to take that in and observe your work without getting so overly intellectual about it.

For the LAW AND ORDER audition, I didn't come on as strong as I hoped to with the "f*ck you" attitude, but I didn't faint nor did I overwhelm myself to a point where I forgot my character's personal make-up or her surroundings or position she was in. I didn't lose the scene. I just went in, looked at Kevin straight in the eye, delivered the scene immediately, and suprisingly, he didn't give me direction like I thought he would! I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing....? But I didn't (and I never do, even in class) do my emotional preparation in the room nor close my eyes and take a deep breath to "get into character". I jumped right in and started the scene when he said "Ready" and that's it.

It was quick, but it wasn't an easy audition. It was a good experience! So glad I did it! Really glad! =)

I think, though, the only reason to why I booked that audition (with the resume and very little experience I currently have and the fact that I am non-union) is because I am Asian! I don't mind, either, becasue Asian actors are becoming a hot commodity in New York City. Not sure about LA, but in New York, the roles for Asians are coming in like hot cakes! It's insane, and it's nice, too, because it's about time! Seriously!

On a personal note, it's awesome to me, because all my life, I've been looked down at, faced rejection at school with inner-circles, and made fun of because of my nationality growing up in Brick. The college theatre scene was even more discouraging, too, because the roles (both big and small for the bigger productions) were for and went to the all-American blue-eyed girl (when I did THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, it was actually an independent project held, produced, and directed by a student at the college). In the classes at college, I was also the only minority in there! So, the fact that New York is in high demand for Asian actors and actors of color gives me more hope. It also boosts my confidence a little bit, I have to say! Hopefully, it will change as time goes on, so the entire acting community in New York, LA, or even in small towns become one huge melting pot, where we don't have to worry about race or heritage.

I also began a new project: I started a SECOND blog called THE FINE PRINT, and basically what this is is an actors' book review blog. I started this blog, because as an actor and student, I strongly believe reading is essential to our job. Reading technique books, memoirs, biographies, and books that explain the business, yet also, there's a wide variety to choose from, which leaves you baffled to what would be the right one to pick. So, I've decided to write a book review blog that will hopefully help eliminate the confusion a little.

I hope to not just do that, but to also explain these readings as a fellow actor and colleague to anyone who is reading the blog. I also am thinking of having guest bloggers, people who have read books that I haven't (and might not have time to read due to my busy schedule), to post reviews themselves. Anything that will contribute to this blog, I'm so up for it! I'm really excited about it, too!

I don't know where it's going to take me - hell, I'm not sure if it was even a great idea, but I do have some ideas for it! I'm looking forward to working with it! One day a time, though....

So, that's what is going on with me! So many great things in store! I still am not sure where all of this is going, but I hope it takes me to someplace good! REALLY GOOD! =) Either way, I'll be ready for it!

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 035: GETTING MY FEET WET; MY THIRD AUDITION

2011-04-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears
TIME: 8:10 PM

Oh my -- what a busy week it's been! An exciting one at that!

Hmmmm....how do I start?

THE THIRD AUDITION

As you may recall from my last blog entry about my first audition, I booked an audition last week for a student film at Columbia University, and I was so excited! I freaked out, because I had to work that day, but I was also surprised! Glad, though, but surprised! I ranted about it on both my Facebook and Twitter statuses! I immediately texted my acting coach and then emailed him the rest of the information. Then, viola -- the past week has been all about the up-coming audition!

Basically, the role I auditioned for was a girl named Sun, a North Korean girl who has had a very dark life back in her home country. Her mother was sold as a sex slave to Kim Jong Il, her father was killed, she was sold as a sex slave in China at age eleven, but she learned kung-fu, eventually killing the man who bought her and raped her when she was fifteen. She then aspires to become an assassin, winds up in America, in an ESL class. The monologue they sent me is Sun in front of her ESL class, talking in a heavy Korean accent in broken English, and she's telling them this story. And the ironic twist to her is that she's actually a very timid, shy Korean girl, nervous as anything to be in front of the class, and after she tells her story, the other ESL students and the teacher look at this girl like, "Whaaaaa.....????"

She's kind of like a Korean O-Ren Ishii, only her personality is more passive and she's very, very shy.

It's actually funny! The film is actually comedic despite the dark character I auditioned for, but like Alan says: "There's drama and conflict even in comedy!"

Lucky for me, Sun is actually the kind of role I aim to do. Not the traditional Korean girl (although, I have no problem playing a Korean or any sort of Asian girl who just crame fresh off the boat), but a role that's very dark. But even though Sun is a dark role (even darker than Lucy Lui's O-Ren Ishii), there's still something really funny and ironic about her that makes even myself laugh.

Again, though, I wasn't aiming to get the part. My biggest aim was to get my feet wet. The past week was emotional, because I was excited, but really worried about the accent part. A scene - fine. A monologue - great! An accent?! Oh boooyyyy! However, when it comes to going over the scene or the monologue, the last thing I worry about is the accent. It's actually the second-to-last thing I worry about, because not all scenes and monologues I've worked on required accents. The great thing about this is that Alan, my acting coach, let me go over the scene and the monologue slides with him for Thursday's session.

So, I had to put my scene from "Beyond Therapy" and my "Jenny" monologue on the backburner, which I was sad to do, because I LOVE my "Jenny" monologue - it actually has become my favorite one of the three (although it is - what I call - my "secret monologue" - the one I will only use if they ask for something that's more of a stretch for the auditions), and go through the new monologue and scene for the audition. I was pretty stricken, because I had so little time to go over the monologue and scene. And I had only one session to go over the scene and monologue with him. But I pulled myself together and just allowed it all come together - someway, somehow. I had to!

Also, Alan, being the genuine person he is, was really, really helpful. He and I went over the monologue and scene over the phone together, and he told me not to become overly obsessed with it, like most actors tend to do when they audition (and I thought I was the only one). Then, to help me with Sun's accent, he typed out the monologue for me with the same exact volcabulary of a generic Asian accent, which helped a lot. I was really, really, really touched when he did that! It was really, really sweet of him to do that for me, because he really didn't have to do that for me! :)

Now, on Saturday, I haven't been to Columbia University since 2005 when I did the audition for "Kimchi", but I remember how to get there on one of the "red trains", but I wasn't sure if it was the 1, 2, or 3, but then I found out it was the 1, so that worked out fine. Then, I had to look on the university's website to find where Dodge Hall was, but that didn't turn out to be a big issue either. I wasn't nervous about the audition. I was more nervous about finding Dodge Hall, being on time, and if I can nail the accent.

Although I was told this, I wasn't expecting to be on my feet for this audition, because like I said before, when I did my other two auditions back in 2005, I was sitting in a chair. The camera, I DID expect. Luckily for me, Sun was supposed to be nervous and frozen, so I didn't have to do too much movement (not that you would anyway for an audition on camera I guess). And at one point of the audition, I choked, and that struck some nervousness in me, which worked very well for the character. I mean, I'm not an expert at my craft or anything, but I tried to use the nervousness for the sake of my character's monologue. It worked!

By the time the audition was over, I was REALLY happy! Perhaps a little too happy, because when I went to go have lunch later on, I started dancing in the cafe a little bit with my chicken sandwhich at Roastown Coffee in Chelsea to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" on the radio. (Yeah, imagine shaking your booty to that song, huh? Not neccessarily a song you'd dance to or go ape wild to, of course, unless you're a fanatical drummer or huge Phil Collins fan, I guess). But I was glad, too, because like I said before, I got what I wanted:   I got my feet wet! I didn't care if the director liked me or if he didn't like me. I was so excited, because after struggling in the beginning of working with Alan and other things, I am once again putting myself out there. Where it will take me? I have not a clue, but only time will tell!

After a kick-ass day of auditioning, I talked to Alan on the phone for a while and he gave me some extra auditioning advice for me to remember the next time I book an auditon. I then treated myself to my first Shakespeare play - Twelfth Night - that my business coach, Erin Cronican, was starring in as Maria. Very delightful, too, and I was so proud of her and inspired by her performance!

So, overally, Saturday was BEAUTIFUL! Just BEAUTIFUL! =) I hated to see it end, but I think I've officially sealed my fate that day! I know an audition don't seem much to most actors, because we do it so much, but for me it was.

I mean, auditions and acting classes aren't paying gigs or something you can invite people to, but what I love about both is at least I am doing what I love to do! And to be honest with you, if I plan on doing this or aspire to be a working professional actor in New York or anywhere, I will be training for the rest of my professional life. No matter where this all takes me, whether I join a union in the way future or not, I won't ever stop training. You never stop learning, you know!

AUDITIONING GOALS WITH ERIN CRONICAN

Monday, I booked a session with my coach, Erin Cronican, and it was a great session, because we both went over the goals of auditioning. I also learned a lot more about the art of auditioning, because she has shared with me some of her auditioning experiences. She advised me to buy myself an "audition log", where I can jot down my own experiences, whether they were good ones or bad ones, so I can learn to become better at it as time goes by. Believe it or not, auditioning is a skill itself. Pretty cool, huh? Very smart, too!

According to BOTH Alan and Erin, when you audition, you're not giving them a full-on performance like you would when doing a show. I guess that's why actors get so overwhelmed before auditions, because they mistaken them for performances rather than to see what they really are.  It's not giving them what it is they want, it's really showing them what you can do.  How you respond to the the spontaneities, the unexpected. So, auditioning, itself, is an artform in itself.

Now you see why I'm all for training with a great acting coach or at least training for the rest of your professional life! :)

After my session, it was the New York Actors' TweetUp, again, and the cool thing was seeing everybody and everybody asking me how my audition on Saturday went! Even the ones who don't use Facebook that often or even respond to statuses and whatnot were asking me. That meant a lot to me! It just shows how kind and how supportive my colleagues are. Also, it was great to meet other people again and see some familiar faces! Great night indeed!

So, it's been a week since my audition booking, but it was a very productive week! One of the happiest moments in my life! =) I can't wait to do it again someday! I also realize how lucky I am, because I really did surround myself with the best people, whom I couldn't do any of this without! Hopefully, I can be just as supporitve with them as they are with me!

And I also realized something else by the end of this very productive week: I STILL HAVE A LOT TO LEARN!!!!!! O_O

Oh...and one last thing, going back to both of my coaches:  I'm happy to say that BOTH of my coaches are at the #1 spots on ActorRated.com in New York part for Acting classes and Career Advice and Acting Guides! Congrats!!!!

You see? I told you I'm working with the best coaches in New York City! But really, it's all in my hands. Remember that, fellow actors! Your coaches can help you and guide you, but they can't turn you into what you aspire to be! That's all you!

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 034: MY FIRST AUDITION; MY SWEET BEGINNING

2011-04-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Pretty Girl" by KARA
TIME: 11:48 PM

(NOTE: This song I'm listening to is in full Korean, but it actually fits the story to this blog entry!)

I am happy to officially report that I booked an audition last Tuesday for Saturday, April 2nd! YES! :)

It was for a student film at Columbia University, which I found via Actor's Access, and I when I booked it, the first thing I did was freak out, because I had to work that day, but luckily, my workplace did cut me some slack and let me have the day off to go to my audition. That's the reward I get for five years of being reliable at my day job! XD But I was really happy I did, because the next thing I did was announce on my Facebook profile, saying:

"IT'S OFFICIAL: I'VE BOOKED AN AUDITION THIS SATURDAY FOR A SHORT STUDENT FILM AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY -- my heart is racing, because I haven't auditioned for a LONG, LONG, LONG TIME!!!!! Now, I just have to wait for my slides and see what time they want to see me. Sara and Stephanie, THANK YOU for the encouragement! xoxoxo *faints*

That was then followed by 7 likes and a couple of congrats from colleagues and non-actor friends, including my business coach, Erin Cronican, and a reminder that they are called "sides" and not "slides". But seriously, I really thought I was going to faint. I even kept on texting one of my best friends, going, "Please, pinch me! I'm not dreaming, aren't I?"

And she's like, "Nope, this is real!"

Then, after that, I texted my acting coach, Alan Gordon, and told him the news, but I will give him the scoop about the character and whatnot, via email, so my Thursday usual monologue session was all about prepping for the audition. Of course, before that, I went over the sides myself, broke down the monolgue part like I do with my other monologues that I'd use for theatre auditions. I mean, come on now, I wasn't going to go into class not knowing what I was reading or not at least having an idea of what my character was about. That wouldn't be good!

As fun and as exciting as all this may sound, the truth is this: This WASN'T my first audition in New York City. Really, it wasn't!

Let me take you back to 2004 to 2005 when I was KRISTINE YOUNG and my headshots looked like this. And note: This was before meeting my coaches or getting any sort of training whatsoever in the city.

Fresh out of college in Jersey, the only acting training I had were my college courses from Mr. Waldman - who was this extremely up-tight guy who looked a little like one of the Super Mario Brothers with a few grey hairs here and there - and John Morrison - who I have to say I liked. Mr. Waldman was the Acting I teacher at the college and please, believe me, he wasn't the greatest, either. I think he even tried to make himself seem intimidating, because according to the other kids who took the classes, the only feedback he'd give you (if you did horrible) was, "I don't believe in you." followed by what sounded like him narrating what you did.

For example, say you did your scene, you just ate an apple, and talked about how bad the weather is. If you did the scene good, he'd say so, but if your performance was horrible or not to his liking, his so-called "feedback" would sound like this in such a whiny tone of voice: "You came in, you sat down at the table...and you ate apple...and then, you started talking about the weather, how bad the weather is, how much you don't like the rain, but you eat the apple, you talk with your mouth full. You are bored to death. You're eating the apple too fast. You're not looking out the window, pointing to the sky. Are you staring at the wall? Who are you talking to? Are you talking to the wall? How come you don't look mad?"

.......yeah.

I can only imagine what it'd be like working with him on my "Amanda", "Lisa", and "Jennifer" monologues would be like. Ay gevalt!

John Morrison, now, was better and really nice, but...perhaps too nice. He made you feel safe...perhaps too safe. See, John had a way of making you feel good about being in front of the class and doing the performance. He was a more solid teacher than Mr. Waldman; we did scenes, but we weren't taught how to break down a script or anything. The only time we "explored" a character was when we went over the play, "Three Sisters" by Anton Chekov, but none of us did a scene from the play. Instead, we were given the character - I was Olga - and we had to read the play. Then, what we did was sit in a circle in the room, and basically told each other what the character was. What she did. Who she was married to. Yada yada yada. That's all.

I was disappointed, too, because I really enjoyed the play, and I thought, "Okay, cool, this will be fun to perform in class." But all I did was talk about Olga's background. Nothing special.

Now, don't get me wrong, please, it wasn't all bad. College acting classes are a good start, but the point I'm trying to make is that my "training" now that look back at it wasn't really rich nor was it...actually, I'm not even sure if it was real "training". The lady who taught Theatre History was a former Equity actor in New York City, and she had to substitute one time for John one day. Hell - she was a better coach than THE BOTH of them combined! A former classmate of mine named Christoper Batarlis, who I think spoke of becoming an acting coach at one point, was a better acting coach than them, too. Chris helped me A LOT with my college work in those classes, and I think I really only pulled through because of him.

But after college, after doing "The Vagina Monologues", I decided to take my career to New York. There was just one problem: I didn't have a mentor. The closest person I had as a mentor was my friend, Petrea, but she was an actor out in Los Angeles, so she could only do so very little with the career advice. New York-wise, though, I didn't know who to turn to for career advice, so what I did was I went on the internet, and went on various websites that belonged to actors who were living and working in New York. I was a little unsure about that, too, because I didn't know how these people were going to react to me asking them questions. I didn't know if they wanted to be bothered. Or if they cared to even answer any questions I had. I mean, talk about being very lost, confused, and extremely naive....I was!

Some of them were nice enough after I emailed them, but they all had something different to say, which, of course, stirred some confusion. One of them told me that I wouldn't be able to audition or even book an audition without a non-union agent, which scared me even more! So, what do I? I contacted a non-union agent to see if she was interested in working with me and perhaps maybe help me a little or throw me some kind of rope. What does she tell me? I need headshots.

She recommends a headshot photographer to me named John Purick, which is how I got these headshots. That's me at age twenty-three. The cool thing about these shots is I got them when I think headshots were beginning to move away from the classic black and white to color, and were slowly beginning to move out of the studio and into various places. They were good to start out with, I have to say, but they look very high school year book. I have no clue why I have them posted on my website, either! I think I might have to make a change with that.

Anywho....

Back in day, the local Barnes and Noble in Brick sold BACKSTAGE, and with a little bit of faith, but no solid knowledge or real good training in my pocket, I bravely submitted my headshot and resume out. But I didn't find my first audition in BACKSTAGE. I found it in a Yahoo! group that listed auditions called NYC CASTING or something like that. I got a call from this girl at Columbia University who was shooting a student film called "KIMCHI" and the character I submitted myself for was named Julie, who was Korean-American woman in her mid-thirties. She is confident when not at home, but at home, she's quiet as a mouse. I was psyched to go up to New York for this audition, but just like the one I recently went on, I wasn't hoping to get anything. I just wanted to taste the experience! But I didn't know anything about New York City.

When I went to get my first set of headshots, my parents came with me, and while I was getting my shots done, they went to go get pizza, and I think they wanted to come to my audition with me, but I didn't let them. No, this I wanted to do by myself, and I felt it was best if I did. You know? More professional...or at least, I was trying to be professional. I even made the mistake of wearing high heal boots, because I was dressed as if I was going to a regular job interview.

At the time, I was working at Rite Aid in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, and a co-worker of mine who I befriended had a very good friend who lived in Queens named Brandon, and he was an aspiring film maker. Brandon was nice enough to email me the directions on how to get to Columbia University from Penn Station, and he was even nice enough to meet me there to follow me to my audition, to make sure I got there safe, and I guess to make sure there wasn't anything shady going on.

When I got there, I was given the sides. Now, at the time, I thought that was really strange, because I never heard of anything like that. Of course, now, I know what it's called. It's called a cold reading, but I didn't know that back then. At the time, my biggest objective to scripts was memorizing lines and then throw in whatever emotion I was supposed to "play". Brandon told me that when he auditioned people, he was impressed by how fast the actor memorized his or her lines, so I thought, "Okay, maybe that's what I should do."

I'm sure I bombed the audition without really knowing it, but I didn't care. My first audition was fun and cute, but it was easy...perhaps TOO easy. It WAS too easy, because I had no idea what the hell I was doing, and I had such a pure and innocent yet very unrealistic point of view on the New York acting industry. I wish I could view the video of that first audition of mine, because they had me on camera, and they had me sitting in a chair, doing the scene. There was even a point in time where the girl who was directing was giving me direction and I don't think I followed it. I don't even think I knew how to take direction, either. But really - I wish I could see what I used to be like back then, before my New York training as a performer and a business person.

Just when I thought I was all professional like the working professionals, ready to take them on, knock their asses out of the water, and to even venture into becoming a working actor or learn how to direct someday or whatever, I really wasn't. I laugh at this, too, because it is funny how little you really know when you're starting out, even though you never want to admitt it. But what can I say? I was very, very young. I was very, very naive, BUT I boldy did push myself out there. Mentor or no mentor in New York City, I was going to try and follow my dream. It was an adventure. It was a great day! I had fun! I, of course, didn't get cast. I can understand why, too. I loved it! Wouldn't trade it for the world! :)

In conclusion to this story, I still have those sides, too! Check this out:

My second audition was also cold reading, but the experience wasn't as fun. It was an open-call audition, where I did have to play a Korean woman who spoke broken English, so an accent WAS required. Again, I had no idea what I was doing, and the girl who I was doing the scene with, who was just as new as I was (*ha-ha*) and was extremely nervous, wasn't really given a lot of time to do our scene. The director just let us come in after a few minutes, we both got, "Okay, thank you." And that was it. We didn't even FINISH the scene together. I, personally, think we made his ears bleed, because....I mean, come on now, two young aspiring New York actors without training at an audition? I wasn't crushed by it, either, because again, I just wanted the experience. I'm not sure how she felt, though. I remember her being really nervous and somewhat upset, because she didn't even have a headshot or resume with her.

So, with that being said, the audition I had on Saturday, on the 2nd, was actually my THIRD audition. People send me their best as if it were my first audition, and in a way, it felt like my first audition. It WAS the first audition I've had with some actual REAL training for once. At least Alan doesn't get whiny or summerize his "feedback" like Mr. Waldman did. Nor does he sugarcoat like John Morrison. I mean, FOR ONCE, I get actual, honest feedback!

My current headshots look like this - not so yearbook-ish, thank you very much! Actually, I might have to consider getting new ones sometime (not too, too soon, though), because I dropped twenty-eight pounds since I got those done. So, they might not be my current headshots anymore by the end of this year. And thanks to Erin, I at least understand and get what I am doing, so I don't have to surf around various actors' websites and beg for information on where to go, what to do, and whatnot. Both Alan and Matthew Sussman have given me advice, too. All of my colleagues do, but one thing that hasn't changed - everyone has something different to say....only this time around, my instincts tell me whose advice to really follow and to take. That, of course, should apply to anyone.

And btw: Name IS Cristina Cho - NOT Kristine Young or my real name. Not anymore!

Another thing that hasn't changed: I didn't go to this audition to get the part. I went, because I wanted to experience it again; to get my feet wet. That's all. If it's me the choose, I'd be surprised and glad to do it. If not, that's cool, too. I got what I wanted! :)

I'm still at the very beginning, and I have to say, I enjoy it so far! Now, if an aspiring young actor who has less experience than me, randomly found my website and asked me for some information on how to get into the NYC acting industry, the only thing I'd tell him or her to do is to start their training immediately, both as a performer and a business person, but do his or her research as well. From my experience, I think that's where it all really begins, and in a way, I kind of wish that's how I started out instead. But I again, I wouldn't trade the experience in for anything!

Next time I blog, I will talk more about the auditon on Saturday. It's really late right now, and I am going to catch some sleep, becaue I got to be in the city for a session with Erin. After that, I will also be meeting up with a friend and colleague of mine, who is actually has an audition tomorrow, and after that - NETWORKING ALL NIGHT LONG! :)

See you on Tuesday folks!

Oh, one more thing: WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I THINKING CONTACTING AN AGENT????!!!!! ಠ_ಠ *shrugs*

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 033: MARCH MADNESS

2011-03-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "I'm Gonna Getcha Good" by Shania Twain
TIME: 8:36 PM

I love this song! *points up* I think it's sexy and tasteful at the same time! *giggles* Very rare combination now-a-days, don'tcha think? I am a HUGE music lover! I love all genres, although country isn't on the top of my list of favorites. And in all honestly, I can never blog without music playing. It's great!

So, March is here, and the last time I blogged was back in February, which was fun with the last TweetUp, but March has been REALLY cool! March actually has brought me some small, but pretty interesting changes for me career-wise and in a way, has placed some deep thinking and some decision making onto my career plate.

For starters:   I've been on Actors' Access for quite some time now, but I haven't subscribed to Showfax until just recently - Sunday night as a matter of fact! And as cheesey as this may sound, I am really excited that I did finally! And it's funny, because it wasn't as expensive as I thought it was going to be, it's actually very affordable, but me, I'm like extra cautious with money since I don't make buckets of it at my day job - enough to get me to New York to do my career and my sessions, though, and to pay my much-need bills. So, this is exciting for me! Yet at the same time, I really don't know how to navigate around the site all that great just yet, so I'm learning to do that! And I'm so totally digging the daily emails I'm getting from them for projects that match my profile.

Actors' Access is like the little black dress for actors - well, at least the actors I know. Every girl has a little black dress in her closet - every actor I know, by far, finds projects on Actors' Access. Showfax helps a huge great deal, because I can submitt for free since I'm a subscriber. It totally beats whipping my credit card out every time I submitt my headshot and resume! I love it!

So, now, I have a new agenda on my list: everyday, after work, I have to audition hunt or at least submitt my headshot and resume. Not sure where it will lead me, but I'm just so happy to be on there and to be subscribing to Showfax!

Class update: That's going REALLY well! I now officially have three monologues in my pocket! We are still working on the "Jenny Chow" monologue, because this is truly a very challenging monologue, and I try my best to lose my inhabitions by moving around. It's really awkward to move, but the key is not to be in my head and to go with my instincts. It sounds and it looks really easy, but it's not easy at all. Don't get me wrong, I love the learning process. For those who are connected to me on Facebook and on Twitter, you know how much I love rehearsing for class and how much I enjoy my work.  I'm always ranting and raving how much I enjoy this part of my job. I think what it is is a matter of allowing myself to follow my instincts as a performer.

I also have to watch out getting caught in the habit of "face acting" - you know, when someone makes a certain facial expression just to show that they are mad or sad or annoyed or disgusted.  I actually get irritated when actors do that.  Not that I do that - thank goodness!

Another thing I need to work on is not sounding whiny. My last session, we started working on a scene, and the scene I chose was the one between Stuart Framingham and Prudence in "BEYOND THERAPY" by Christopher Durang, and, even I noticed this, I was sounding really whiny, but it was the first time we were giving the scene a shot together. So, I still need to work on it at home. Truth is, I can't stand whiny actors. You can complain in a scene without being whiny - really you can! I, seriously, wish I can physically remove my eardrums when I hear a whiny actor perform. It's really annoying.

I wish I can show you an example of what I'm trying to say here, but I can't right now at the moment. Maybe someday I will, once I figure out SoundCloud. But really, when I do this scene without the whiny, it sounds more authentic, and I actually have to so, I feel more human - more like a woman in her early thirties trying to have a normal therapy session than a bratty teenage girl talking to her BFF on the phone like, "Oh-mi-gawd...he was like a jerk...he commented on my breasts, he cried, and he has a boyfriend. It was really ridiculous!"

Actually, this is great! (I just realized this, too!) I am now able to point out my own weak spots in my performances! WOW! This is amazing! WHOO-HOO! Don't get me wrong, I still need my acting coach like any aspiring, new actor does, but to be able to spot your own faults in a performance -- oh my goodness, this is awesome! Far cry from when I first started out, too!

**SO, SO, SO, SOOOOOO HAPPY!!!!!**

Then again, my acting coach IS the best in the city, so he deserves the credit for that!

Another note on class:   As you may know, I am a Meisner actor. Ever since I stepped foot in New York, I've been studying Meisner and I swear by it as a performer. Great technique - love, love, LOVE Meisner! Apparently, I am doing better and improving in class that I was asked to start taking the technique classes on Tuesday nights. I think it's a beginners' class, which works good for me! But before I make a final decision (not that it really IS a big decision in general), I was recommended this book called THE SANFORD MEISNER APPROACH by Larry Silverberg, who is a well-known Meisner acting coach. I'm not sure where he is located, though.

Anywho, he wrote this series of workbooks that focus on the Meisner technique, and it's really cool! Workbook One is the one I'm reading now and it goes over the lessons what my coach does in the beginner's technique class. Now, I've done technique before with my coach, but since I took time off, it's nice to have my memory refreshed. Like, "Oh yeah...I remember that!"

See, a lot of people outside of the industry don't realize this, but training is essential as an actor, and the training we do is constant. It never stops! Even seasoned actors need to be in training, because performing is an exercise. You need to have a basic up-keep on it and if you don't, you will lose out on so much. Actually, I'm not sure even if people within our industry realize that!

I love the part of my job. I love the learning process, and I guess I showcase that a lot in my blog. Aaaah, the enthusiasm of a beginner! Right? =)

Well, I'm not sure how great of a performer I am, but I am doing better. Slowly, but surely, but that's the pace I move. I do take my time, but I don't slack off. Sometimes if you do take your time, you learn faster than you think you do. Whereas when you rush, you miss out, and the learning process becomes more painful and takes longer. Believe me - I'm talking from experience on that one, too! But going back to the Larry Silverberg books, I am willing to read all of them once I'm finished with the first workbook.

I LOVE being studious! =D

Final note: I am wondering about my website right now. I have been comtemplating on getting photographs solely for my website, but I'm not sure if it's something I truly need to worry about at the moment. Someday, though. I do have a photographer in mind for the job, too, and I absolutely like this photographer's work. Not giving the name out yet. I think I even talked to this photographer about the idea last time I networked. Not sure.

Also, along with figuring out Actors' Access, I am going to someday jump aboard the FLICKR train -- it will sure in hell beat manually doing the photo gallery on my site with the codes and whatnot. Not that I'm lazy, but it will do me good, I think! It's also a matter of finding the time to actually do this, too!

Also, I'm thinking of starting a second blog, because I do enjoy reading, and I figured that I should probably start a blog doing book reviews. See, I think it's REALLY important for actors to read, especially books about the people who've helped shaped our industry, different crafts, the business, etc. It makes me really sad and kind of pisses me off when I hear people say they hate reading and that they find it boring. But as actors, we need to read! MUST read!

So, when I find the time, I think I'm going to start a book review blog! =)

Ohhh....

ONE MORE THNG: I'm OFFICALLY saving money to move up to New York City! YES! I am going to leave Jersey for good! I'm not sure exactly when I'm moving to New York, but hopefully, within a year, I will be up there!

April 4th, is the next NY Actor's TweetUp! I can't wait for that! Not sure what the TweetUps are? Check these two past blogs out: MIND CANDY 031 and MIND CANDY 024.

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 032: NEW MEETING OLD-ER

2011-02-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

MUSIC: "Angels On A Balcony" by Blondie
TIME: 12:09 PM

I have a rather odd confession to make here: I am training to be a professional actor and I, generally, don't - I repeat - DON'T like movies!!!!!!

I know...right?

But, no, seriously, it's true: I've never been big on movies. I don't know. I think it's also, because - no real big offense to anyone famous or whatever - I'm so sick of hearing about the same people being in these movies over and over and over and over again. I mean, yeah, we all have to make a living, but come on, it gets boring!

As you can see, I'm not a faithful follower to any movie stars or anything like that. I mean, I like certain movie stars. I like Anne Hathaway - she has this Julia Roberts aura to her. I think she's fun, even though she's not like the greatest actress I've ever seen. I also like Kevin James - I think he's adorable, but still, not the greatest actor I've ever seen. And the only reason why I like watching movies with Vin Diesel and Gerard Butler is because they are nice to look at for at least two hours! =) But, honestly, they don't inspire me as a performer.

I really don't have a favorite movie star or anyone who is constantly pumping out with a new film every season that I look up to. This is true: Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, or even Jennifer Aniston could walk right pass me on the street and I wouldn't care. I, seriously, find myself completely bored with movie stars and seeing the same face every time I read a magazine or run into a commercial, which is why I avoid watching ACCESS HOLLYWOOD or ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, where they show Angelina Jolie buying grocceries or wearing a pair of "awesome new sneakers" designed by some random unknown fashion designer.

Seriously (and to be completely BLUNT here) - who gives a FUDGE (you know what I really mean)?

One of the biggest pet peeves I, personally, have being an actor in training is being pigeon-holed as an aspiring movie star or tv star or (because I am in New York) Broadway superstar, but the honest truth is, I don't have any bigtime aspirations to be a star at all. And mind you, I strongly agree with Marlon Brando when he said, "In your heart of hearts you know perfectly well that movie stars aren't artists..."

I read this in a book that I'm reading about him now called SOMEBODY: THE RECKLESS LIFE AND REMARKABLE CAREER OF MARLON BRANDO by Stefan Kanfer, and when I was reading it, I was on the train on my way to the city. I mean, my heart started POUNDING with such sheer excitement, and I wanted to jump up and yell, "YESSSSSS! SOMEBODY UNDERSTANDS MY POINT OF VIEW!!!!"

....even though he's been gone since 2004.

The truth is, slowly - and I mean slowly - my opinions on movies are changing and, believe it or not, it's because of OLDER MOVIES!

I'm not talking about movies that were released a decade ago. I'm talking about movies that were released the year before I was born! Movies that came out in the 70's, 60's, 50's, 40's, and 30's! Even some movies in the early 1980's I enjoy, but I'm not saying EVERY movie released before I was born is great and every modern day film is boring. I think it all really depends on the director, the writers, the producers, and of course, the actors. Then again, there are some really wonderful, talented actors out there who deliver really great performances and then fizzle from time to time. It happens, and besides, you can't expect them to be perfect all the time, right? Just like yourself when you're a performer - you're not gonna be giving a kick-ass performance at an audition or session or on the job all the time. So, you just grin and move on and hope to be better and work harder!

Lately, I have been watching A LOT of older films, and as I observe these films and compare them to newer ones out now-a-days, there is something so special and so unique about them, storyline-wise and performance-wise. I was born in the year 1981, so I wasn't around yet when DOG DAY AFTERNOON or ON THE WATERFRONT or SHANGHAI EXPRESS came out. And it's funny, because people around my age or younger find this rather strange about me, while people who are older than me are actually quite...suprised! I mean, one of my best friend's mom said I had an "old soul", and I have to say, I took that as a compliment! =D I even wonder sometimes if I was born in the wrong decade...like I should've been born in 1961 as oppose to 1981. Hey, I'd make age 50 pretty damn cool and fun if it were true! =D

But the truth is, it's not that I am an old soul or that I should've been born twenty years before the actual year of my birth. I think it's important for us actors to be open-minded to older movies! For art's sake, we shouldn't mimick nor copy the brilliant performances of really brilliant actors (NOT movie stars), but we sure can learn from them!

One of my favorite actors whom I have such wonderful pleasure of watching is John Cazale. You might recognize him as Fredo from THE GODFATHER series, the middle brother, older than Michael, younger than Sonny. John Cazale was brought to my attention when I first watched DOG DAY AFTERNOON, and the interesting thing is he's playing along side Al Pacino in that movie, but in my opinion, he kick's his butt when it comes to performing in those movies! I mean, I LOVE Al Pacino - he's one of the most influential actors out there, but I'm watching this movie for the first time and John Cazale's character, Sal, is just freakin' scary! I don't wanna ruin the movie in case you haven't seen it, but every take you see of John Cazale in that film just instantly made me so nervous and so apprehensive. Even the part when he's sitting in the conference room in the bank telling one of the tellers not to smoke, he brings this nervous energy on screen.

Unfortunately, John Cazale is no longer with us, but what amazes me is how natural he is when it comes to playing these vulnerable characters. How he expresses Fredo's disappointment and anger in the second "Godfather" film without being aggressive or even terrifying. He expresses it as if he's an emotionally wounded and frustrated little boy, which is not easy for an adult actor to do. I have a bit of a mini-mission for myself, and that is to watch all five films John Cazale has made. Right now, I have only two on my list and that is first of the "Godfather" movies and THE DEER HUNTER. Actually, I did watch the first "Godfather" movie, but it was a long time ago and I don't remember a thing except for the daughter's wedding, the horse head in the bed, Vito Corleone in the hospital and eventually dying in a tomato garden, and Connie being abused by her husband.

My current monologue requires a lot of anger, but how I express it, I can't be aggressive nor violent where I look like I wanna smash someone's face in. I pretty much have to express in the same fashion as Fredo in the "I'm your older brother, Mike, and I was stepped over..." scene, and believe me, as easy as they may look, it is NOT easy! Not one bit, so it's a real stretch, so I have to muster so much vulnerability for it. But I'm willing to do it! And besides, I think accepting challenging roles are good for an actor, even though I was told by both of my coaches, that when it comes to auditioning and agents, this monologue would have to remain in my back pocket. I see why, too!

Don't get me started on how show-offy some actors can be when expressing vulnerability...please! Makes my ears bleed, because they sound so whiny. Ugh!

Anywho, if you want to learn more about John Cazale - and I recommend that you do - check out I KNEW IT WAS YOU: REDISCOVERING JOHN CAZLE. It is played from time to time on HBO, but it's hard to catch. Luckily, Netflix has it! =)

I am really more excited about my work, and I think from watching older movies, I am beginning to learn and understand what makes not only a good performance, but what also works for good storylines and such. These movies ARE entertaining, but they're also gems. They're buried treasure, and I really do hope that every actor at least watches them or develops a passion for them. Also, the storylines are more real. The performances are brilliant! The settings and the sound are fabulous!

Newer movies are okay, like I watch some of them for the purpose of amusement and not to learn anything from them, but when it comes to older movies, that is when I'm in work mode. I mean, being an an artist is all about observation, and to be able to deliver beautiful art into our work for our audience, we have to keep our five senses opened as well as our hearts and our feelings. It's kind of funny hearing me say this, because I'm not a patient person, artistically. I'm learn fast or die, but I'm trying to get out of that mold. Kind of makes me wonder how on Earth I can spend up to eight hours in a library doing research for a two minute monologue sometimes.

Okie dokie, that's my take on older movies. If you want some recommendations, I DO recommend THE GODFATHER series, but I think everyone has seen them. I also recommend TAXI DRIVER and DOG DAY AFTERNOON, for sure! These two movies have become two of my favorites of all time! I was actually lucky to find the DVD of "Dog Day" at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square for only $11 one time! YAY!

Another recommendation I have is THE PAWNBROKER with Rod Steiger - I mean, check this clip out on YouTube. Marvelous! I also enjoyed MARTY with Ernest Borgnine, and I don't like romantic comedies all too much, but this one, I really enjoyed. I know Rod Steiger did this before Ernest Borgnine did it, but I haven't seen his version yet. I also loved PATHS OF GLORY with Kirk Douglas. I also liked the original THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR with Steve McQueen. Loved THE VERDICT with Paul Newman. And yes, I'm a sucker for BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S with Audrey Hepburn. One of my favorite films of all time is A CLOCKWORK ORANGE with Malcolm McDowell.

For someone who isn't really big on musicals, I really loved FLOWER DRUM SONG with Miyoshi Umeki and Nancy Kwan. I loved this movie, because it was one of the orignal movies that had a full Asian cast with the exception of Juanita Hall, who was cute as button! I also like CABARET with Liza Minnelli and Joel Gray, and yes, I adore THE SOUND OF MUSIC. But I think everyone seen THE SOUND OF MUSIC. I'm sure we all came up with way to solve a problem like Maria. =D Btw: Austria looks really pretty!

I found some of these movies on my own, but I give my acting coach a lot of credit for recommending a good number of these films to me, as well. I also got recommendations from colleagues, too, which makes me happy and proves my point about the magic of networking! =)

So, really, I hope, whoever is reading this, that you do treat yourself to an older movie someday! If you have trouble deciding, think about the modern day movies you watch and the genre. Do you like drama, comedy, romance, action, etc.? Every genre that is out there was being produced back in those days - they just lack the fancy, high tech graphics and all that...except for THE WIZARD OF OZ and STAR WARS, but who hasn't seen them?

Gotta go! Lots of work to do, but first I have to eat lunch! That picture of the popcorn on top is making me hungry.

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 031: NETWORKING - YAY OR NAY?

2011-02-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

MUSIC: "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder
TIME: 4:52 PM

*ahem* I am actually playing this song for a reason for this blog! You will see why! =)

New York Actors' TweetUp Feb. 07, 2011

Okay, yesterday, I had two networking events. Well, the first one wasn't so much a networking event - it was more of a seminar, but hey, seminars and workshops also require a little bit of networking, don't they? And the great thing about seminars and workshops: MOST of them are free! =D Well, at least the ones I've been to by far in New York are!

A friend and colleague of mine invited me to a free seminar earlier in the day called FIND YOUR MISSING LINK by THE SAVVY ACTOR, which she found on ActorRated.com. At first, I thought it was going to be a small, free networking party, but it happened to turn out to be a seminar and introduction to what their business was all about. THE SAVVY ACTOR is run by Kevin Urban and Jodie Bently, and basically what they are are...business coaches. It was a nice small event....with only a small amount of people, including myself. I thought it was good, but not for me, personally, because I am very happy with working with Erin Cronican, so I'm going to stick with her.

However, looking on the bright side to the experience, it was nice to meet other people, even though I didn't really meet a lot of people.

During the small seminar, Kevin went around and asked questions, and one of his questions was, "What do you think is your greatest strength?"

My answer: "I think my personality is my greatest strength."

I often wonder if personality is what helps you most in the business, and I don't mean strutting around New York as if you own the city. I mean, no one should be allowed to get away with that unless they're Donald Trump or Jay Z or Diddy. My personality is actually kind of complicated to figure out sometimes. People who know me well know that I LOVE meeting new people and that I am a social butterfly. Even down in Jersey, when I'm with my personal friends, I'm always up for a good time and to meeting new people! I just LOVE it! However, at the same time, I'm actually pretty shy. It doesn't take me long to warm up and feel comfortable in big crowds, but I still have that introverted streak in me. Sure, I do go into networking events wondering if others will like me, but I don't expect to win fans or anything like that.

New York Actors' TweetUp Feb. 07, 2011

Besides that, I like to learn more about others from all different walks of life, which is one of the reasons why I became an actor. I enjoy exchanging conversations with others about the things we are passionate about like older movies, plays we love, projects we are working on, etc. Believe it or not, I'm not always comfortable talking to my colleagues about projects I am working on all too much, but others DO ask, and I ask them, so....sharing is caring, people! =)

When I was younger and when I was studying acting in college down in Jersey, I always thought that actors HAD to be outgoing, loud, and never shy. I used to think that being "thick skinned" meant not being vulnerable or hurt. I was even told by someone that all actors are "snotty" (well, that's not very nice! *wah wah waaah*). But since the New York life has begun, I found out that I was wrong about us! Not all actors are outgoing. We're still human with real human emotions. And I have met only a few actors who I would say are.....well, let's put it this way, they need a big slice of humble pie!

I will say, there are just some actors who have that spark or personality that draws people to them like flies, and as I observe that, I notice that the person they are drawn to has personality! One of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten came from Matthew Sussman, who did my headshots back in 2009. He told me that you have to be courteous, and I totally get what he is saying! An actor with polished manners is a good thing, which goes to my explaination to why networking IS important!

I am surprised and actually pretty saddened to hear my actor peers say they hate networking. I don't get why, either! Okay, so maybe you're a painfully shy actor, so networking must make you feel uptight, right? Maybe some actors fear that self-promoting themselves is making them seem like arrogant? Maybe some actors just don't want to be bothered by the business side of our industry and rather dive into the performance part?  The actors who don't care for networking say they don't like to "sell themselves" or "kiss butt" or anything along those lines. I, on the other hand, LOVE networking! I don't see it as creating a fanbase or promoting myself at all. I don't know if that's what networking really IS about, but I sure in hell don't see it that way. I see it more as making a new friend, a learning experience, learning about life, because you're meeting somebody new and someone who is different than you, in that matter, who has the same interest as you.

Also, I love to find like-minded people such as myself, people are high spirited! One of my personality traits is that I'm usually very optimistic, very determined, and very driven. Take my last monologue session for example: I didn't nail it the way I hoped to, so I really bummed, but at the same time, I thought, "Well, next time, I'm gonna do better! Just gotta work harder!" *crosses fingers*   So, I always try to find positive people like myself to mix and mingle with! Luckily, I have been successful in that deparment! =)

I'm not going to lie, I often do wonder if me being lighthearted and positive all the time is a flaw or makes me sound too naive, because this IS a very tough business to be in. I understand what I'm putting myself into, no doubt, and I've heard the stories. I do come off as open with lots of childlike enthusiasm, but the truth is, I am also very, very shrewd, too. (Believe me - if I don't have a good feeling about something, I do say no and I do walk away from it). However, that, I guess, sets me apart from most actors. Positivity does help as long as you're still realistic! Also, it helps you pull through, doesn't it? Now, you see why I'm listening to this song, too! =D

That's what sets ALL of us apart from each other - our personalities - and as an actor (even at the beginning stage like me), it is my job to apply elements of my personality not only as a performer, but also as a business person as well! So, I use my personality as a marketing tool for myself. In many ways, you have to! I enjoy networking very much, but also, it's my job! That's why I do it! I don't think of it that way, but I also don't think of it as a huge party as well.  Either way - it is my job! *shrug*

Actually, everything I do in my career IS my job, including updating my website and doing blog entries for this, but it's the job I actually enjoy doing! Pretty cool, huh? =D

With Zach Woobensmith @ the New York Actors' TweetUp on Feb. 07th, 2011

So, after the THE SAVVY ACTOR seminar and a hot cocoa at Cafe Grumpy in Chelsea, I roamed the city, had chicken Caesar salad at Cafe Metro near Grand Central Station (that made me feel like I wanted to explode afterwards -- romaine lettuce really stuffs you!), changed my make-up from daytime look to evening look, I went to my fourth New York Actors' TweetUp event at Pig & Whistle on 36th near 7th and 8th Ave., which is hosted by Erin Cronican, my business coach, and Marissa Mutascio. This is actually a HUGE networking even that Erin and Marissa came up back in June of last year, and is always a fun thing to be apart of, especially if you're a social butterfly and networking lover like me!

I was really excited to be at this one, because there was like sixty people or more at this one, and we took OVER the ENTIRE Pig & Whistle! I swear, it was packed, because of us! I even tweeted one point on my Twitter page and even on Facebook that I was (quote):

Oooooooooh, I am having fun tonight!!!! But I feel like I'm in a can of sardines! =D

It was such a great event, and I really loved introducing my colleagues to each other and to Alan, my acting coach, and telling them a little bit about my experiences working with both him and Erin! I also loved meeting new people, of course, and hearing what they had to say about acting, their personal projects, and their love for the industry! Real magical night! Loved every minute of it!

And to tell you the truth: That's what networking REALLY is and should be about! Simple and straight to the point with lots of passion, enthusiasm, and excitement!

Now, since I really don't go into great, great, GREAT details about the TweetUps, I am going to give direct you to a couple of links:

If you're on Facebook and want to view photos of the past TweetUps, join the NY ACTORS TWEETUP FACEBOOK GROUP, by clicking here! Also, if you join, you will be able to be invited to future TweetUps by Erin and Marissa.

If you're on Twitter, you can follow them via Twitter @NYActorsTweetUp

No website yet!

Now, no worries, there's also one in LA, and you can view their website at http://www.laactorstweetup.com/ and follow them on Twitter @LAActorsTweetUp

And if you're in London, you can go the London Actors TweetUp @UKActorsTweetup

I highly recommend this and I know, whoever is reading this, will have an amazing time!

Okay, I gotta go and work on my monologue! Can't wait 'til Thursday - hope you all join the groups and follow the Twitter pages! Oh and before I go, just one more thing: If I met you last night, I AM on Twitter, so please follow me @cristina_cho - I promise to reciprocate!!!!! =D

Reeeeeeally I do! XD

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 030: A TALE OF TWO PROFILES VIA FACEBOOK

2011-01-25T17:50:00.000-08:00

MUSIC: "Monster" by Lady GaGa
TIME: 6:34 PM

I DID IT! I've re-designed my website! I am sooooo glad I re-designed my site, because the purple explosion was kind of driving me nuts after a while. Okay, so th new design DOES have purple in it - I mean, come on now, it's my favorite color since I was a kid! I will NEVER part ways with purple! But the last layout, as much as I loved it, I don't think I can ever forgive myself for making my headshots look like the early stages of Violet Beauregard before she turned into a human blueberry from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". Just kidding!

LOVE that movie - speaking of things I will never part away from that were apart of my childhood! *giggle*

It was a good idea at the time, too, but with this layout, I didn't go crazy on color manipulation. I kept it more toned, but I kept the city theme in it. I was trying to achieve a more "classier" look and not worry so much with the graphics. It's 2011, so I've been doing graphic design and website stuff (not professionally mind you) for about twelve years now (*YAY!!!*), and as time gone by and from lots and lots of fiddling with various graphic programs, I've really come to embrace the big fancy graphics. But for my acting website and from the different layouts I've made for it, I began to feel that I have to draw a line as far as graphics go. I have to admitt, for a visual artist who is all about 100% creative freedom and loves to be different, it's hard to discipline myself with this. But it's for my career, and I don't think a purple Cristina Cho would work for anyone who visits my site.

Another thing I did on the web was I've created TWO separate Facebook profiles. My personal one for my personal friends and cousins with my REAL name on it, and of course, my professional one for my colleagues in New York with the name as you all know me as. I am SO, SO, SOOOOOOO happy I did this on so many levels. I originally thought of this ages ago, but knowing how much time and effort it was going to be, I shied away from the idea until I began to see other actors brainstorming the idea.

One of the reasons I did finally decide to do it is so I can separate myself from my work. See, I don't know about you, but I am one of those actors who doesn't like the idea of mixing personal company with professional business. Like I, personally, don't think it's a good idea for any actor to hire a family member or close friend as an assistant or manager or anything along the lines of that. I understand that sometimes couples or friends can wind up doing the same play or take the same classes or even hook-up as a result from working with each other, but that's different. What I am driving at is keep your longtime friends and your family what they are, and if you want to make friends in this industry, go and make new friends. Sometimes, the assistant or manager or mentor or whoever does become a friend in a matter of time. I consider my colleagues my friends, including my two coaches/mentors, but the relationships I have with them aren't the same as the ones I have with the friends in my personal life. It's not like I call one of my actor friends and start chatting with them about how stressful my day job can be. And it's not like I call one of my personal friends and talk to them about marketing myself in the city or anything related to my career.

I'm sure both parties appreciate that very much so, too.

When I put up the personal profile, I was also glad to see that I am one of the very people on Facebook who can have two statuses up at the same time. I'm a status junkie! It's crazy, but I am really a status junkie! When I had the one profile, I was so torn between posting a status on my profile about something totally random or my career. I still post statuses on my personal profile about my career and I still talk about my website and blog, but I'm not militant about it as I am on my professional one, of course.

Like right now, my personal profile status is outrageous, silly, and random, I'd actually feel ashamed for having it on my professional profile or even mentioning it on my blog, while my professional profile status simply states:

February 7th: I officially have TWO networking events that day - Savvy Actor Event with Ellen Ginsburg and NYC Actors' TweetUp with Erin Cronican and Marissa Mutascio. Daytime and evening networking - groovy! =)

Another thing that started to bug me were the requests for Farmville, Mafia Wars, Frontierville, CityVille, Cafe World, or whateverville. I mean, I have Farmville (and I'm happy to see I'm not the only actor who does), but after a while, I didn't appreciate some of my friends posting on my professional profile that their pig found a truffle on my farm or they left me a mystery gift box or anything. Personal profile, I don't care - post your cares away, leave me somehting saying you fertalized my watermelons or fed the chickens in the virtual coup. Professional - NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Also the last thing I want is any of my colleagues in New York to think is that I spend a good percentage of my life playing mindless games on Facebook instead of my monologues or anything having to do with my career. Which, by the way, I think they know I don't do.

What's also great about having the separate profiles is that I don't have to censor anything on the personal one. My Jersey friends are LOADS of fun, so we always have a great laugh on Facebook if we can. I have to keep it clean on my professional one, where on my personal one, we can talk about the most random things in the world. But the truth is, when it comes to the Facebook application on my phone, I'm always logged into my professional one. The personal one, I just access from the internet on my phone.

At first, despite the fact I did consider it ages ago, I wasn't all for it, because I think back then, I was trying to prove something to others. To prove to family members that barely see me that I'm not living an ordinary life and that I'm actually doing something with myself, and to prove to my colleagues that even though I do work hard, I do have a personal life and I still know how to have fun! But what's there to really prove?

To tell you the truth, I come from a real NON-artistic family where they aren't interested in theatre, visual art, or anything in that category. To them, it's just something that's nice to look at whereas to me, it's a lifestyle! Their idea of "theatre" is a Broadway musical, where there is really a wide, colorful variety of theatre that's more profound and so special, that it makes Broadway seem like mere eye-candy. Art, to my family, is just something that exists in this world where to me it's something I've been truly passionate about since I was a kid. I really don't talk to any of my family members about my career, because I don't think they really understand my love for it or why I'm so driven, but that's okay with me. To them, as long as I'm happy and I enjoy what I'm doing, that's all that matters! =)

In Jersey, I do have a lot of friends, but I would say only 5% of them are still on my professional profile and are interested in my career. I mean, all of my friends know what I do, but they don't know the greater details of what I do. Some of my friends have seen my monologues, they know I work hard on them, and they support me. Others have no idea what a monologue even is. Having friends outside of the acting world keeps me grounded and it helps me remember where I come from, but I'm really lucky that I have that small 5% of personal friends who help me stay confident in my profession and my work. 'Cause I don't need to be Cristina Cho, the actor, with my personal friends. I can be successful in my profession someday, and they'd still see me as "Nacho" (yes, that's my nickname). Or at least I hope they do! =)

Some actors can't live withouth the big praise, especially from their family and friends, but the truth is (and I've witnessed this from going to plays where my colleagues were performing) friends and family are always going to give you feedback that is pleasing to the ear if you involve them too much in your career or if you rely all too much on their thoughts on your performances (another reason why I don't mix the personal with the professional). I don't know about you, but I can't learn from being praised all the time. Actually, I'm weird, because the thought of a family member or personal friend or even my colleagues telling me, "Oh you were wonderful! You are so good! Really good! You're gonna be a huge star someday!" makes me not only very uncomfortable, but also, in a way, makes me very sad. Unfortunately, I've gotten that, and believe me, I'm NOT flattered one bit by any of it. I mean, it's nice to hear people believe in you, but it's not the point to my existence to why I am in this business.

Most aspiring actors would LOVE to hear that, and that's okay. Honestly, I don't. Reason being is because anybody who knows me really well - personally or professionally - knows that I'm not in this for any hopes of money or stardom. They know that I am in this, because I am genuinely passionate about my work and I love to learn new things about life. Yes, my heart is in it like every actor in New York or LA or wherever, but I don't have any big goals for fame and fortune. To me, whatever I am doing now, I know deep down inside, it will lead to something, but I don't worry all too much about or really care what that "something" is. I'm in the greatest city in the world, I have amazing people helping me in my career, and I am doing what I love. That's all I need to make me smile. =)

For me, I want to know what I can do that's going to make me a better performer. What needs to be improved? What is working for me just fine? I am one of those artists who needs and feel more comfortable when I am given tough, constructive criticsm. Don't get me wrong: I do get bummed if I don't do a great job, but I don't get discouraged easily. I just try to work harder and then, if I am given a second chance, I try to do better! One of my supportive non-actor friends told me that if I kept on doing great, I wouldn't be having so much fun or enjoy myself, so no need to be bummed just because I don't do great really! =) This, I hope, answers any questions to why I don't work with pushovers, too! =)

So, that's the story of me and Facebook. Also, actually, I am beginning to do Twitter again! Twitter is great, because people can choose to follow you, but you don't have to follow them, especially if they have that creepy factor to them. Facebook, people have to be on your friends list to see what you're up to unless you make a fan page. Truth is, I'm not even ready nor should I worry about making a Facebook fan page!

And yes, it is true, I do have two networking events coming up in February that I am looking forward to! Another NY ACTOR'S TweetUP and something my friend and fellow-actor, Ellen Ginsburg, invited me to to go with her! This is gonna be great! =)

Will talk about it more next time, but right now, I've got emails to answer and other work to do! I also need to do a few more tweaks here and there on my website, but I'll get to those next time I have the time to do them.

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 029: THE BUSY LIFE

2011-01-16T12:46:00.000-08:00

MUSIC: "You & I" by Park Bom
TIME: 3:05 PM

Hello, everyone, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'm so glad it's 2011, and I hope you all had a great holiday! I know I did! I hung out with my friend, Dana, on New Year's Eve and I met a couple of great new people. It was a quiet small group of people at the house, but there was some beer, champagne at midnight, and an adorable little kitty cat named Johnny Cash (see picture below)! =) So, I had a good time, indeed!

So, here's what been going:

I know I haven't blogged since September, but I've been REALLY busy with monologues! I've been going over monologues with my acting coach and he's been really awesome in helping me how to break down my characters, get to the heart of their emotions and actions, and so much more! And the cool thing about it is that I have been doing better and better each passing week. I still have a lot to learn, still, but so far, it's been remarkable! So far, I have three monologues in my "pocket" (not literally), but I am hoping to get at least six or five. I don't know which is better, because every actor is different, but I'm aiming for six or five or maybe seven...you never know, right?

But what I am REALLY enjoying about this is the research part of it! I love to learn new things, explore different things, and get in touch with so many subjects in this world, it's nuts and sometimes I wind up spreading myself too thin, but the research part isn't so hard. It's fun! It's delightful! For example: the monologue I am currently working on is from "The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow" by Rolin Jones, and I was so enthusiastic to tackle this monologue, I wasted no time on my research part.

I had to research on robots, Tourette's Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, msyophobia, Chinese-American adoption, the economic climate and gender status in China, Science fiction, accelerated education, social anxiety, and the show, "Weeds" (since Rolin Jones was a writer for the series). I spent a good six or seven hours or so at the library doing my research and I had books piled all around me on my desk.

That's a lot of books, huh? =) There was a moment when I was doing all this, some lady looked at my pile and she says to me, "Are you reading all of those books?"

And I really didn't want to go into the whole discussion of being an actors, so I just smiled and said, "Yeah, something like that. It's for a research project!"

But I really enjoyed doing the research for the monologue I am currently working on and I love the character, Jennifer Marcus. And I noticed that when you do your research for your work, it brings your characters to life more. Makes them more colorful and bold, and when you're playing them, after doing the research that you need, you are able to play the character in a more simple fashion - feel her emotions, understand her passions, and really get a grip on her pain. From my training with Alan, the art of acting is simple, it's clean, and cuts right to the chase if you do it right. It doesn't have to be dramatic nor scattered or all over the place or flamboyant. It should never be superficial. Even when playing weakness, it's still very simple...or it should be. Not something that can easily be achieved, though, I warn you, because the "art of simplicity" is rather complex. But if you do your best, really dig deep without being intellectual, go with your gut, it CAN be done! And when it is displayed in your work, it comes out great! Really it does!

For the "Jenny" monologue I chose, I chose a part where Jennifer extremely vulnerable as oppose to the parts where she comes off as arrogant. See, I'm not interested in what she can do or her genius IQ. I wanted to pierce through her tough shell, and luckily, I was able to do that with the part I chose for this! Really exciting again! =)

I don't want to give too much away about this monolgue, though, in case you haven't read it or saw the play, but I'm really happy I found this monologue! I still have a lot more work to do with it, but it's coming along beautifully! =D

Now, before I close this blog, when I get the time, I am going to be re-designing my website when I get a chance. What I really want to do is get some internet photos done just solely for the website itself, and I have my eye on a photographer for the job, whom I met through networking plenty of times! Not gonna give away his name until I seal a deal with him when the timing is right! =)

Also, I have a feeling I am going to be really busy this year, because I am going to be auditioning hunting for real this year. I had to save so money for the holidays, so I am going to be signing up with ShowFax soon. I will try to get on here and blog as much as I can! TOMORROW, I have a monologue presentation to do for my business coach, Erin, which I am really looking forward to, but have some butterflies about, because she's never seen me perform. But I'm still feeling confident....and nervous, but confident! And in July - I WILL BE TURNING 30 - YAY! And to tell you the truth, I feel younger than I did when I was 21!!!!!!

Hope you are all having a wonderful 2011 so far! =D

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina

http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 028: YOU CAN OPEN DOORS WITH A SMILE....

2010-09-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" by Sakamoto Ryuichi
TIME: 3:13 PM

Before I begin, I have to do a tiny rant about this song:

When I first heard the original version of "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" by Mr. Sakamoto, I fell IN LOVE with it! There's something graceful, fragile, and beautiful with how the music is put together and oh my God - everytime I listen to the original version or the piano version (like I have up here), I get chills all throughout my body! *bliss* There are like thousands of version of this on YouTube and in general...LOVE them all! =)

Also, it kind of makes me want to book a vacation in the quiet countryside of Japan (which is unusal coming from me, because I'm very much a city girl - I love the hype, the rush, and the adrenaline in a city), learn the language, the culture, eat their food, stash away any material possessions I have for one whole week (yes, that DOES include my Blackberry and my computer), meditate to the sounds of nature and rain, and just live a reclusive life in absolute serenity and seclusion - just for one week, though! Would love it!

Anywho...

I know I've posted a blog earlier this week before, but I wanted to share a little more candy with you about a little something else. Now, I know lately, I've been talking about my Sarah Treem monologue like crazy, but seriously, I am IN LOVE with this monologue! If the monologue were a guy who looked like Gerard Butler, is artistic, is into art, driven, ambitious, outgoing, determined, funny, liked old movies and theatre, but is very independent, too - I'd probably marry the monologue! =) Then again, I have mixed feelings about marriage in general - so, scratch that - I'd DATE the monologue!

"........."

Okay, that sounded really awkward...

Actually, all this oddball talk is kind of leading to the point to this entry. Not falling in love with monologues or plays, but with your work! Being passionate about your work! You get what I mean?!

(For the hell of it, listen to this song while reading this blog, because if you continue listening to Mr. Sakamoto, you'd probably get a random craving for sushi - not saying that'd be a bad thing, either).

Granted when it comes to our work, mainly as performers, we want to be our best. I know I do! But sometimes I wonder if we are too obsessed with getting the job "right", being "perfect", or better yet - are we too "serious" when it comes to our careers? Sometimes when I meet people, when I network, with some people, I get these vibrations where people are so uptight. When I first started working with Alan Gordon, my acting/Meisner coach, I know I was extremely uptight! I was always nervous to the extreme where it distracted my ability and need to learn how to do my work. I was obsessed with being "right" and being "perfect" just so I can "impress" him, which lead me to probably being way "too serious" and not achieving the results I was hoping to as a performer.

I can recall on those days, too, and let me tell you something, that fear, that need to impress is what really stifled and distracted me from what he was trying to train me, and I often think that is what also holds back other actors from really understanding the heart and soul of our craft, no matter what technique you decide to go with in your art as a performer. What works more than anything (and I wish I knew this when I first started out) is being free from your personal needs - your need to impress, to be right, and to be perfect - and to focus on your essential need, which is your need to learn.

Also, let's be realistic here:   unless you have an acting coach who is real scapegoat, you are NOT going to impress any acting coach in New York City or LA or anywhere, reguardless of what on a first meeting. First of all, you do no want to work with a coach who is sickening-sweet, as I've mentioned before, and second, morally, it's wrong to treat anyone, especially a coach, as a doormat or a stepping stone, so don't don't it, either way. Courtesy is key if you want to go far in life!

In my monologue, Amanda Blue says a line that sticks out like a sore thumb to me: "You get all these perks when you're a girl and people like you. You can open doors with a smile."

But her point-of-view in saying that isn't the same as mine. There is no doubt that you can open doors with a smile and that you do get some "perks" when people like you. Think about the laws of attraction here. If you send positive energy to others, you can attract positivity in your life. One of the things, I've learned as both a business person and am beginning to see as a performer now is that a smile is all it takes to achieve your goals - make them big or small. I'm not saying a literal smile that you have to wear on your face 24/7. I'm talking about putting a smile on your work! =)

Huh????

Okay, listen up!

I'm going to remind you again: Your job is NOT to impress, to be perfect, or to being on-the-mark with. THAT is what stifles your impulses (especially if you're learning the Meisner technique), holds you back from being free, and distracts you from your need to learn.

Second reminder: You CAN fall in love with your work! You CAN "open doors with a smile"! You need to put that smile on your work instead of yourself, and I'm going to explain how, from my personal experience from working on this monologue in this blog entry.

One of the greatest things about working with the professionals I have worked with so far in this business is that I'm constantly surrounded by passion. BOTH of my coaches and even Matthew Sussman, the guy who did my headshots, send off this highly professional and also passionate energy my way that it pretty much rubs off on me. Now, when I first started out, I blocked most of it, because I was too much in my head and perhaps even afraid, because it was all new to me (no excuse, though!). You have to free yourself from all of that, and how you do that is understand one thing: HAVE FUN!

Seriously, you have to have fun in this profession!

Work is work, no doubt, but there's a line between having fun and making the work seem like a joke or even a chore to you (I, personally, saw it as a chore at first, but never a joke), and having fun while doing your work! Passion stems from this, and once you understand that, it gives you the freedom and the ability to put your heart into your work.  I remember Alan once saying to the class a while ago that you do this because you have to do it. There's a need to do it, and he's right. Even 'til this day, he admitts that this is something he will never get out of his system.

Now that I'm older than twenty-four and more wiser than I was when I first came to New York back in 2006, I now find that I see this artform is an endless goldmine to LEARN about life. I, personally, have this unquencable, hungry, amorous desire to learn about all walks of life! Everything! I want to know what swims in peoples' heads. I want to hear peoples' stories and spread them to others. Now, I know for sure I'm not going to learn everything all at once, but I'd be the happiest girl on the planet if I recieved any sort of information about various people who come from different backgrounds than I do. And for me, personally, it doesn't help if I'm a journalist and write about them, although I do give myself credit for being a witty writer, that doesn't work for me. It's the need to wanting to be in other peoples' shoes. Walk their walk. Talk their talk. Will I ever get that out of my system?

Not sure....knowing me, probably not, either!

In order for me to be able to deliver these stories to other if I put myself in their shoes is that I have to be truthful about it, and how I see it is that I have to have a sense of empathy for a character and sympathize with their stories; understand their relationships, etc.. How you do that is you connect your own self with the character, whether it is based on your own experiences or coming from an imaginary place. As long as it's real for you. You, in the skin of this character, are bringing you into the work. When you bring yourself to the work, you're bringing in your pain, your joy, your pleasure just to bring your character to life. The truth is, everything IS connected when it comes to your work, but it's up to you to connect them. It's like a jigsaw puzzle. Connect the pieces, the picture is beautiful. Connect the pieces half-assed, it's unclear. Don't connect the pieces at all, it's nothing, but a mess.

I can't fully explain why, but when I do this, I am enjoying every minute of it!  This, to me, is fun, but as long as I also remember that this is also my job and I have to connect the pieces 100% to bring in a beautiful picture that is crystal clear, then I'm okay. How you do this is entirely up to you, because we all approach scripts differently than one another and use different techniques. My way may not work for you, but how I access certain parts of myself is to let my guard down with who I am as a person. Free myself from worry. My job is unlock these various emotions for myself, so I can see what would work, and then use them to my advantage so I can bring the character's story to life. It takes time to be able to do this, but what I've done to help me identify these things is this:

The help of an excellent acting coach who is completely straightforward with me if my efforts are bringing in truthful results or not.
The aide of a well-rounded, open-minded therapist. Therapy gets a bad wrap, because you don't have to be flooded with woe or insane to see a therapist. Therapy also helps your craft and helps you access these emotions better and helps recognize things you never thought you had inside of yourself.
Lots and lots of journaling! Having diary or a journal helps in so many ways.
Meditating on regular daily basis! I'm telling you, meditation works in so many ways when you're an actor! =) If you can find a space in your home free from clutter or anything, light a couple of candles, play harmonous music or even classical music, sit, carefully breathe through your diaphram (inhale slowly through your nose; exhale slowly through your mouth), and reflect on certain things, that helps you get in tune with your emotions on so many different levels! Also, going into vocalizing, it also helps warm your voice up before you perform!

It's all about being free, and when you're free from any unneccesary needs, you have so much more clarity to explore these things about yourself and bring it to your work. You can also concentrate harder on your work! You become drawn to it like a moth to a flame per say, and when you have all the freedom to do just that, you really can lay your heart into the work. Believe me when I tell you that people DO recognize this. Your audience will see it. Casting directors, too, may see it as well. Your coaches see it. There's no need to impress anyone. There's no need to be perfect. There's no need to be right all the time. You know when people get "nervous"? Well, I can promise you that if you also strip away these thoughts, you will also learn to be less nervous and more excited! We bring out more confidence, too!

To have creative freedom, that is what I mean when you have fun in this business. It's really a balance between being serious about the work and what needs to be, but having fun bringing it to life - the creative part in other words. Get what I mean? And THAT is what I mean when I talk about "putting a smile on your work!" =)

When I do this, I feel so much better. The positive feedback is great, but the biggest reward of them all is to recognize that you can do this! My reward is that my fickle brain is learning something new, because you know me -- I LOVE learning new things! But always make sure you understand that no matter how much knowledge you obtain in your career, you're not going to learn everything! Always be open to learning something new no matter how little or much experience you have, and if you do this, you will be able to bring in something new and super-positive in your career and the choices you make within your professional life! =)

So, you see? It DOESN'T have to be a "chore" to do your work, and it shouldn't have to! So, I'm warning you, if you DO see your work as a "chore" or even as a joke, you're going to have a very, very hard time in this business!

Okay, kids, I'm gonna sign off saying I am IN LOVE with my work! I am beginning to fall in love with what I do, and I don't know what my future in this may bring, but I'm sticking to it just to see what it might bring! My need is thirsty, so I'm gonna go and treat myself now! =)

One last quickie: To find out more about Sarah Treem, check out her page on Doollee.com!

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 027: THE 5 EASIEST THINGS ABOUT BEING AN ACTOR

2010-09-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "We Built This City" by Starship
TIME: 6:31 AM

Oh my goodness - let me tell you very quickly about the song I'm listening to for this blog:

I'm an 80's baby, and when I was a little kid, my mom and I used to blast this song whenever it came on the radio and sing our hearts out, not caring if our pitches were off. I find it kind of weird and funny how Jefferson Airplane went from being like this psychedelic rock band to...well, this. And then you step back and you wonder, "What the hell was Grace Slick thinking?"

Seriously, Jefferson Airplane?! AWESOME! Starship?! CHEESEY!!!!!!

This song is the epitome of 80's cheese, but even at my age now, I still enjoy the cheesey song! I even blasted it on Rabbit's IPOD when we were randomly driving around on a cool and breezy Saturday night with our pal, Kimmy Jacobs, all over the Jersey shore, chewing the fat, laughing our asses off, and listening to random music. They probably thought I was nuts, but honestly, this cheesey song still makes me I smile. Ahhhh, good times! =)

You know what word rhymes "cheesey", folks? "EASY" - that's what! Okay, I know that was very cheesey, but I had every intention to do that! =P

Any industry person, beginner or seasoned professional, will tell you that the acting industry is TOUGH! Perhaps it is the toughest profession on the face of this planet, and we, as actors, producers, directors, coaches, etc. are known for dreaming BIG - I mean, castle-in-the-sky big! I've met people who want to be on top of the world in this profession, and the sad (but honest) truth is that not a lot of us make it to where we want to be. Not a lot of us even stick to this profession and wind up venturing off into some other field, which is okay, too. After all, it's your career, and even though people have laughed at me for saying this, it is true when I tell you that whatever we given in our careers rests in the palms of our hands.

Think about it! We are given this key to open doors in our careers to unlock secrets to who we are and discover things like unhidden talents and inner-strengths that have been clouded from our eyes. Now, you either take that key, go and unlock as many doors as your little heart desires, or you don't do a damn thing at all. And I'm not talking meeting "the right people". No, no, no...this lies beyond that!

I am probably going to either ruffle a bunch of feathers here or get people scratching their heads when I say this, but I don't care. What I am about to tell you IS true (and no one can convince me otherwise on this, because I stand firm in this belief): There ARE a couple of easy parts to being an actor! I don't care what city you are trying to persue your career in. You can make your career a smudge easier than what it looks like if you follow me a little here in this blog entry. Take it from a girl who is on the same boat as you!

Pay attention, kids! Take some notes if you wish to! Hear me out! =)

THE 5 EASIEST THINGS ABOUT BEING AN ACTOR

1. READING BIOGRAPHIES AND FICTION NOVELS - it's not hard to open a book!

Theatre actor, film actor, television actor, whatever - it's important to READ! There are thousands of excellent resources out there that help you learn about our profession as a business, how our industry is holding up in our outrageous economy, our craft, and much, much more. I'm talking about newspaper articles, articles on the web on actors' websites, books, newsletters, blogs, magazines, the list goes on.

As an actor, you also get excellent resources from reading even a fiction novel. When I was a kid, I used to read a lot of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike books, which are horror, but they always delt with the supernatural. One of my favorite books when I was little was called "The Dark Card" by Amy Erlich, which was about a lost seventeen year old girl who sneaks into an Atlantic City casino with her sister's ID while staying at the family's Jersey shore summer house, winds up being seduced by a much older gambling addict, and throughout the book is clearly disturbed by her mother's passing from cancer. I read that book over and over again.  It was then and there, I actually learned that the kind of stories I enjoy are dramatic as oppose to comedy. Now, my point to reading fiction novels is this where you can learn what kind of roles you're interested in. If you go to the library or browse around a Barnes and Noble or Boarders or the Strand Bookshop, what works and authors are you most drawn to?

I'm not going to lie, though, I really am not a fan of reading fiction novels, but when I do, the plot HAS to grab me. I WILL sit and read a work a fiction if it is dramatic or has some sort of twisted character in it, but I also love stories that have a sense of hope to them. Take "Memoirs of a Geisha" for example, which is my favorite novel of all time. I relate to Sayuri, because of her journey to becoming the famous geisha she winds up becoming in the book. Through her tears and disapointments, she was able to find generous people to not only help her career as a geisha, but to help her appreciate and love life again by the end of the book. Great book! Movie was all right, but the book has me FLOORED!

A character that is similar to Sayuri's story? I'm so in!

Sticking to books again (and this one's a no-brainer), there are also biographies. Not just biographies on actors or directors or producers, but musicians and even ordinary people who have fascinating stories to tell. If you read biographies and memoirs, you can also discover what kind of stories you'd love to tell through them. Some people will say you ought to read biographies to bring a sense of hope to your careers as well, and that's very true. But again - think about what the biography is about. Is about a person who was heroic? Is it about a person who struggled through drug addiction?  Whose life is so fascinating that you just want to talk about them non-frickin'-stop? Do you see the connection here? If you can find a biography about a certain person whose life has touched you in a certain way to a point where you talk about them non-stop, that right there shows you what kind of roles you'd be interested in playing.

Take David Bowie for example. I love him and I would read any biography having to do with him, because he's in a class of his own, he's different, and has been one of my favorite singers since I was twelve. I, myself, love to be different, in a class of my own, but I could never play him. Well, first of all, I'm not male. Second of all, he's 30-odd years older than me. And third, the guy's not Korean-American. However, I can play an unconventional female character who comes off as a complete oddity to this world, but still be brilliantly talented and versatile. This also explains why I chose the monologue from "A Feminime Ending" by Sarah Treem. Amanda Blue is the David Bowie to her story (in my eyes that is) - unconventional, an outsider in her small-town, very talented musician, brilliant in her own mind, but struggles to make it, which David did back in the 60's before the whole Ziggy Stardust thing. Then, it is a matter of lacing in my own personal experiences and knowing how she feels when certain things affect her.

It's amazing how you can find your artistic callings just by reading biographies and works of fiction! If you can relate to the person you're reading about, fiction or non-fiction, or are touched by their stories, that's the kind of stories, as performer, director, and writer, you want to tell, and should keep in mind throughout your career. Books are PURE gold! Reading is ESSENTIAL!

2. EDUCATING OURSELVES WITH OR WITHOUT A COACH - do your research!

This is possible, but don't mistaken me here - we need acting coaches and we need business coaches as much as they need us, and if you're lucky enough to find excellent ones, then that's even better! But what I mean about doing your research is this:

Say you're auditing an acting coach and he or she teaches Method acting. Before you say yes to the coach, at least find out what Method acting is, it's origins and whatnot. What I am saying is try and find out if the technique is for you. If it is, it is. If it isn't, then try another technique that you're most comfortable with. This also helps you in your search for a certain coach. Not every acting coach teaches Method acting or follows the teachings of Lee Strasberg. Some follow Sanford Meisner, and some actors out there follow the Meisner technique (I'm one of them). Some follow David Mamet. Some are all passionate about Shakespeare and only teach classical.

My point is this: If you're searching for an acting coach, but you run into one that teaches a certain technique and you have not a clue of what that technique is, at least do a little research about it to see what you're in store for if you decide to participate in the classroom. I'm not saying going into class as a complete know-it-all and try to outshine to the coach. Good God, DON'T do that! But at least see if this is a technique that you're going to be comfortable with.

I'm not going to lie here, though. When I started coming to New York back in 2006, I was VERY naive and I jumped into my training without thinking it through, despite the fact we very briefly went over Meisner in college. I did go with my gut and my instincts has served me well, because I do prefer Sandy Meisner's teachings and I swear by it when it comes to the work. However, learning a certain technique requires a certain temperment, which I WASN'T prepared for when I started out. I've gotten used to it, though, and I'm still learning to do that. Picking an acting coach not only has to do with how you feel about the coach itself or his or her approach to acting and how it's being taught to the students, but it also requires how you feel about these techniques. Not every actor follows Sandy Meisner.  We are all unique in our own way!

When it comes to business coaches (if you decide to go with one or not - it's entirely up to you) and prepping your session with your business coach, I strongly do believe it is your job to bring the questions to him or her. When I started working with my business coach, I brought basic questions to her:

What is the biggest mistake do you tink actors make as far as business decisions, looking for work, self-promotion goes?
What do agents really look for?
Do you think managers are neccessary?
How else do you avoid being scammed other than not giving money?
Are looks really everything? And how do you know what kind of image or look you want to use to market yourself as an actor?
What are the do's and don'ts to writing out your resume?

How I was able to get this information was from reading books about the business side to the acting industry. Also, what helps with your business endevours is if you even read advice columns like they have in Backstage. I also was able to obtain this information from talking to other actors. Go on the web someday and browse through actor websites, especially those who are in the city that you're persuing your career in. Every actor is gonna say something different, so what you do is you just gather the information that you are given, take it in consideration, and if something seems off to you, then bring the info to a trusted mentor or business coach. Same goes when you read books about the industry, because every book out there says something entirely different.

Our industry is full of unique people and we all go about our careers in different ways. We all do our preperations as performers differently. But let me add one thing to this: You HAVE to get your training! You can help your coaches by working WITH them by doing your research AND when chosing the right acting coach for you, but all in all, it doesn't replace being trained by an actual coach. And if you've found yourself a genuine coach, then you're hit the jackpot, but DON'T expect them to do all the work for you. You are the most responsible for your growth and your training - NOT your coaches.  Your coaches help you become actors, but they don't turn you into one. I'm telling you this, because I've made that mistake when I first started out with my coach. But once I have learned that my personal growth as a performer is really up to me, I began to enjoy it A LOT more and learn a lot faster! =)

Today, whenever I approach my work for class, I try to do it with a good amount of passion so I am ready to present it to him, and see if he can help me make it better and at least point out what works or doesn't work. It sure in hell beats bringing it to him like, "How do you play this? What do I do?"

One last thing I want to point out with coaches and I can't stress this enough: Be professional! Yeah, so you chose them, but remember you're on their time, they are doing this for you, they have other students to attend to. If you're lucky to have a very down-to Earth coach, be courteous, be respectful, and be open-minded with your coaches, and they will give you their all in return if they're great at what they do!

3. NETWORKING AND SOCIALIZING - reach out to others, actors or not!

Unfortunately, I have met actors who hate networking, and I even had the great pleasure of meeting an actor who thought networking was pointless. It was one of those just grin and bear moments, then you leave the b.s. and go on your merry way. The truth is, networking, in my opinion, is the most important part of the job and one of the easiest. Then again, I find networking VERY easy only because I love to meet people and I am, generally, a pretty gregarious person!

Here's what networking has helped me with. I have always been a very shy. I know, it's funny, because I can be really outgoing, then I can be really shy. But networking has helped me come out of my shell and made me realize that despite the horror stories of being scammed or screwed over with broken promises that I've heard (and fortunately, never experienced - knock on wood), there ARE very generous people in this business! I'm telling you, I have not a clue what I'd do without having my colleagues! I've made a lot of really good friendships in this business, and what helps having these friendships is that when it comes to our careers, we have others to lean on.

Actors, I think, sometimes mistaken networking as - to be really blunt - a "butt-kissing" convention. I don't know about half of the people I meet in mixers, but I don't network hoping to win anyone over. I go, because those who know me very well know that I genuinely love meeting people and talking to others. I don't care if people wind up thinking I'm full of myself at the end of the day. The reason why I network and try to stay in touch is, because we can learn from one another. We can learn from our colleagues about how we go about our careers and even recommend those we've worked with in the past or even the present.

ALSO, keep in mind, when you have colleagues, it helps you along in your career. I'm not talking about acting jobs. I'm talking about word-of-mouth information of where we go to find auditions, books we've read to enhance our careers, coaches we've worked with, etc. Networking is KEY! And I cannot imagine not being in this business without networking!

If you're a shy person, I can understand that it may be nerve-wrecking to be a mixer, but the key to networking and socializing with other actors is to be yourself. Be there to mingle and to meet others. You don't have to do anything to come off as impressive. I most drawn to people who are positive, enthusiastic, and generous in character. I could care less if you've seen every play on Broadway. I want to know your story - what made you go into acting, what you're interested in. I am not interested in how many acting project you have under your belt. If you have a question for me that could help benefit your career, I am willing to help you if I can. I can recommend the guy who did my headshots or tell you about other photographers I've interviewed. I can tell you what plays you can read if you're looking for a certain character. Recommend a good book to read. Give you tips on how to find what kind of roles you could possibly be interested in playing like I did before. I found that a lot of really good-hearted people in this business are willing to do that same. That's what networking is really about! Granted, I have ran into some people who made me feel uneasy, but there's no need worry, because you do have the option of staying in touch with certain individuals or not. Shine a positive light and others will shine one right back at you! =)

And going back to "butt-kissing", be extra cautious if you run into someone who starts doing exactly that. These people most likely are scammers. However, no matter what city you are in, you are most likely to find safe networking groups that will allow you to exercise your social skills. How do you find them? Do your research! Not sure about something?  Ask a trusted colleague - hence my point on the importance of networking!

Actually, to tell you the truth, I think socializing in general is very important. I even learn things just socializing with non-actors, but in a different fashion. You learn about the aspects of human behavior, whether you are watching someone or speaking to someone. You also learn how people tell each other stories, which helps you along with your studies as a performer. So, the next time you have a normal conversation with a friend, actor or not, keep in mind how the conversation goes. In the end, it will help you!

4. ASK QUESTIONS - don't be afraid to speak up!

Adding on to the importance of networking, ask questions! Ask questions to your colleagues and your coaches, no matter how "silly" or "stupid" a question may sound, ask away! I bet you dollars and dimes that every seasoned professional actor started out by asking "silly" and "stupid" questions to trusted mentors and colleagues. No question you should as is "silly" nor "stupid", and if you ask them to someone who thinks they are, they're not someone you should really be asking, because they will usually give you general or one-sided answers. You don't want that.

The kind of people you want in your corner in this business are people whose passion for this matches yours. One of the greatest joys about being in this industry is having questions to bring to my coaches, because it shows that I am more than eager to learn as much as I can as a performer and a business person. You're not going to learn everything in one session or year or two or three or four or five. No matter how much of a novice or a seasoned professional you may be, there's always something new to learn! You learn, though, by asking, so ask away! Enough said on this. Next topic!

5.  WATCH MOVIES, TELEVISON SHOWS, WEBISODES, AND GO SEE A PLAY - see it all with your own eyes - the great, the good, the mundane, the bad, and the ugly!

When it comes to movies, I'm talking about ALL movies!  Even terrible movies! Do yourself a favor, especially if you're new: Rent two movies via Netflix or Blockbuster or the library. Rent a favorable movie with excellent reviews, where the performances had critics and audiences FLOORED. Then, rent a not-so favorable movie that reigned surpreme at the Razzies. Watch them both, take notes, and compare the differences betweeen the two. Take careful notice of the performances of the actors, the movie plot, how the characters get what they want, try to accomplish, the dialogue, etc. These things help your performance training in so many ways!

Along with studying others and taking notes in your head when you socialize, you can see how it comes up on screen. You benefit from both excellent movies and poor movies. Excellent movies - well, that's an easy one! You basically are learning what others are doing to deliver a great performance. Understanding the importance of brilliant dialogue and a strong synopsis. However, why poor movies? Poor movies can be fun, because you can point out and recognize when an actor isn't doing a good job. When I do watch poor movies, I always say to myself, "If I were her, I would've said it with more anger." and things along that lines. It's always a "I would've" or "she should've"....although, I will also admit that watching poor movies are painful. Sometimes I have to struggle to keep my attention on the film if it's so bad.

You can even benefit from a really sloppy comedy, because comedy is also a skill on it's own. I, personally, prefer to watch comedy rather than do it, but a lot of people don't realize that there is drama even in comedy! If the comedy is done right, then great! If not....well, you get my point!

And the same goes for watching shows on TV (even though I don't watch a lot of television), webisodes on the net, and going to a theatre off-Broadway and watch a play. You, as a member of an audience, understand your own personal reactions when watching a play. I've been to plays where I was delightfully entertained! And I've been to ones where I spent a good most of the time sending text messages to my friends while having my phone on MUTE. Sometimes, I'd even *yawn*. Now, let me ask you this:   Would you want to be apart of a project where you are not holding the attention of your audience members or not even connecting with them?

As actors, it is our job to connect with our audience, to touch them, to tell our stories. If you give a performance that is less than entertaining, not only are being unfair to your audience, but also the people you're performing with! Nothing helps you more than going to see a play! As a matter of fact, I think witnessing live theatre is the most helpful of them all!  THIS is the easiest part of your job as an actor! There is no excuse for you to not be able to watch a movie or television show or webisode or go to the theatre and to watch a play! There is isn't!

All in all, my point to this blog entry is that even outside the classroom, without the presence of your coaches, it is essential to be DEDICATED to your work! There is more to life than our careers, like we have personal friends, family, day jobs, and stuff like that. But if you have the time, dedicate yourself to your career by doing these small favors for yourself. I promise you, they will come in handy for your as your career progresses! These are even "treats" for you and your brain, and you learn so much just from them! Small steps usually lead to giant leaps!

Let's face it: Actors who come to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or wherever are so hooked and far too hypnotized by the "glamour" of our industry. The money. The fame. The diamonds. The hidden secret behind these "treasures" is the hard work you put into it, and that work is more than acting classes or business sessions. It's knowing yourself as a person. It's educating yourself from either watching films or reading books and plays. Almost everything, 24/7, that you touch in your life is a tool for your work as a performer and a business person. For me, that's the "treasure" of this industry.  I love to learn! I come from a very sheltered small town in the Jersey shore. I haven't had a real taste of life until I started going to New York to persue my career, and to be able to see things and learn things people from my little hometown can only dream or imagine seeing -- no fancy piece of jewelry, big paycheck, or mass amount of attention can replace that!   This is not to say that I don't hope to make a solid living from this. I just don't promise myself anything. I can only promise to try and I can only promise allow myself to learn as much as I can to get to where I hope to go someday with this. I don't have control over how casting directors or how my coaches see me. Quite frankly, that's the last thing I'm really concerned about. None of us should be concerned about wanting to please people. My main concern is what I, and any other aspring actor, has control over:

The amount of time we put in to work on our careers by working on our scripts, monologues, etc., etc., etc.
The way we present ourselves when we're at an audition or networking mixer or meeting.
The number of plays or novels or biographies we read to find the perfect monologue or to discover what roles we are interested in.
The time and effort we put in anything having to do with our careers.

And I can gaurantee - not promise - but gaurantee that if you look at your career as an endless goldmine for life-long knowlege as oppose to a ticket to fame and fortune and access to material possessions, you will build such a passion for this industry that it will help you strengthen your will to succeed in whatever your goal may be, make it big or small. You have to look at your work and your career in so many different corners and observe them. You have to understand and even admit to yourself that you don't know everything and you're not going to learn everything. And I said this before, got laughed at, but I don't care, because I know I'm right about this, so I AM gonna say it again:

You can be given all the advice and tips in the world on how to get through this industry, but really, your career, seriously, lies in the palms of YOUR hands!

It's all up to you! ALL of it!

So, do yourself a big favor: Enjoy the ride, but be on your toes!

Now, that's easy...isn't it? =)

That's enough candy for now! xoxo

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 026: CLEANING OUT MY CLOSET AND BRINGING MYSELF TO THE WORK

2010-09-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Awake" by Godsmack
TIME: 12:08 AM

LONG TIME, NO BLOG, EH?!

Before I start handing out some mind candy: Big SHOUT-OUT to Sarah Ann Corkum and Mariana Vily - two awesome fellow actors whom I met while networking at events hosted by Erin Cronican - who also have blogs up here on Blogspot! Please, support by subscribing and checking out their blogs! =)

So....why such a late blog? Where the have I been?

Well, I've been SUPER busy with my monologue studies with Alan Gordon that I haven't really allowed myself to come online to work on my website or to even blog! Actually, I also kind of gave myself a break from website/online work over the summer. I've been spending more time on my work than my social life, which isn't a bad thing other than the fact that I've been missing my friends, but I'm lucky to have very supportive group of pals who understand the work that needs to be put in my career. So (if they're reading this), thanks, guys! =)

Anyways, I've been haunted by monologues most of the summer, but I've actually found a really awesome monologue from the play, "A Feminine Ending", by Sarah Treem, and a twin-soul in the play's main girl, Amanda Blue. I'm not going to give too much away about the play or even Amanda (especially if you're a fellow actor and you're studying this play yourself), but I have to say I DO relate to her on so many different personal levels and what I also enjoy about this character and the monologue that I'm doing is that it is SO colorful! Emotionally, you can bring soooooooo much to the table with this character -- and Alan has given me some suggestions that I would never think to bring out in Amanda, but once I lace them into the piece, they work like a charm! The monologue isn't comedic, but it isn't full-on dramatic or dark, either. However, it requires a little bit of both.

One of the best challenges about being a Meisner trained actor is that you can share your greatest joy and also confront your darkest demons. This was a big deal to me when I first started out and struggled with A LOT, but the blessing coming from training under the Meisner technique and with an very solid acting coach (as I've mentioned previously back in March) is that you learn more about yourself -- your strengths, your weaknesses, etc. Lately, I've, metaphorically, began thinking of my emotions as a big walk-in closet - like the one Kimora Lee Simmons has at her big house on her TV show (not that I'm an avid watcher of her show, though) - and every piece of emotion we possess is a certain color, has a certain feel to them, and certain ones work for certain occasions, kind of like the clothes and accessories we have in our closets, if you really think about it!

I think the reason why I think of them this way now is because I found this quote by Naomi Watts, where she said, "There's a lot of skeletons in my closet, but I know what they're wearing. I'm not gonna act all ashamed of it."

And the funny thing is, I was literally organizing my closet, going through my accessories, my shoes, my make-up, and my endless variety of clothes, and I thought about that quote, thought about my monologue and my character, that it all became crystal clear to me about how to "bring yourself to the work" (as Alan would say). And although confronting your deepest emotions, especially the ones you try to supress or don't want to admit even to yourself, isn't easy, it's essential to have in hand as an actor, but it's important to have it all organized, recognize every piece of that emotion, it's color, and not be ashamed that you have it! So, I am beginning to think of my emotions, my personal fantasies spun from my imagination, and even my personal truths as things you'd find in a walk-in closet, and believe it or not, it's actually been working REALLY well for me!

Actors, I guess, like to think of their emotions as a certain something. I've heard some think of them as "buttons" they push to access a certain emotion. Push a certain button to turn you on. Some say "switch" as in light switch - this switch will turn this on or this off. Some say paints like they would use on a blank canvas - finding the right shades to create the perfect picture. I, at first, tried the "paints" one, because of my background as a visual artist. Oddly enough, that didn't help so much. But I think of them as a wide variety of accessories, pieces of clothing, and a collection of purses, wristlets, clutches, tote bags, different scented perfumes, and colorful make-up.

This is how it works (for me, at least):   Think of the emotional part as the clothes you wear. Think of the depth of these emotions as the accessories you wear with the clothes. Think of the script you are studying as the occasion you're dressing up for! Think of putting all these emotions together for your character as dressing up for this occasion - is it a black-tie formal event or a casual, laid back thing you're attending? Is the world you're living in the script or play you're working on (whether it's for an acting class or for actual work) a light one or a dark one? You wouldn't wear a black cocktail dress on a day trip to the beach, right? Well, you wouldn't bring out your aggressive side if you're playing a someone who is extremely timid.

My point, overall, is the recognizing these things. As a girl who LOVES to dress up and tries to make sure she is dressed her best, no matter what, I find it VERY essential to know what is in my closet - the the different shades of the colors, the material, etc - and to know what will work together and wouldn't. There are some items of clothing and colors I KNOW I wouldn't dare be caught dead in! There are some items I've got that I know wouldn't be suitable for a job interview, but perhaps will be suitable for a small get-together at a friend's house. Things I know from experience, from going shopping, and from watching the fashion critique shows on television when I was younger! =)

As an actor, I have to know what makes me happy, sad, angry, etc. What brings out a certain type of happiness or sadness or anger or whatever it may be, because there is a certain level of emotional depth. There are some things in this world I know that I can get mad at, but will cool off from after a while, and then, there are some things in this world that I know, for sure, that makes me downright furious! Again, things I know from experience from...well, almost anything! Knowing which shade of emotion will work to make the life coming from your acting work real for you. Knowing what you're doing to get what you want. Knowing the life of the person you are playing as much as you know yourself. Knowing even yourself without censoring yourself from certain feelings you have or fantasies you keep inside of you.

It's all about KNOWING yourself and TRUSTING yourself! It is IMPORTANT! And if you know yourself, are comfortable enough to trust the choices you make as an artist or as an everyday fashionista, believe me: you become so alive! Being alive helps you shine like the sun! =)

So, there ya have it!  That is how and why I think of my emotions as a neatly organized walk-in closet! And just like a walk-in closet, you have to go throught it to see what is what! Of course, I am generally speaking of how these things work.  There's a lot more to this artform and profession than what meets the eye!  It's actually really cool once you understand it! Of course, the way I see things can be rather goofy, but then again, I don't call this blog MIND CANDY for no reason after all! See, still super-sweet, but there's still a point to it! XD

One last thing (and to give you an idea of how fanatic I am about accessories): I was out with my friend, Rabbit (her name's really Chrissy, but we all call her "Rabbit"), at the mall today, and I tried on THE HOTTEST black stilettos! Check these out:

Usually, I don't wear stilettos, because I get nervous in them, because I kind of have this minor fear that I'm going to trip and fall and break a bone...or two...or three. *shudders* I do own a pair of silver ones I wore when I was a braid's maid at my best friend's wedding, but they're too dressy to wear with a business suit or casual outfit (*ah-ha!*), but I don't really need a casual pair of stilettos, because like I said, I don't usually wear them. However, I tried these on and they were easy to walk in and believe it or not, they were very comfortable! I kind of felt like I was wearing a pair of sneakers! Rabbit wasn't fond of them, because they aren't her taste, but they are MY taste! I think I also kind of embarrassed Rabbit a little, because I was strutting around in them in the shoe department as if I were a supermodel on a catwalk and I kind of started dancing in them for a second, because I just LOVED wearing them. I didn't buy them, though, because I really don't need them, but I just think they are HOT! LOVED them! MIGHT buy them....maybe....hmmmm....still debating....

.....seriously, though, aren't they just awesome?????!!!!!! WHOO-HOO!!!!

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina

http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 025: LITTLE DREAMS DO COME TRUE...

2010-06-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Beautiful World" by Utada Hikaru
TIME: 9:13 AM

...so what makes you think bigger ones can't? THEY CAN, but sometimes we have to dream small before we dream big! Here's a little story about your faithfull hostess of this blog, and I never really told anyone this until now:

One of the most beautiful things I've personally ever laid my eyes on are city skylines at night. I would always be in awe whenever we went to visit Jersey City, and when we were leaving at night, I'd stare at the view of the Empire State Building and the Twin Towers like it was the most incredible thing in the world. I think the sight of a skyline is gorgeous! I guess that's what I get for growing up in the suburbs rather than the inner city.

When I was a kid, I remember one night, laying in my bed, trying to fall asleep, and from where I was lying, I could see the night sky through my window. As I stared endlessly into space at the sky, I thought about cities. I thought about the beautiful, breath-taking view of a city skyline at night, and everytime my eyes gazed upon a city skyline, I would begin to wonder. Just the sight of a city skyline at night would pique my young curiousity:

What is the city nightlife like?
What are the parties up in the city like?
How fancy are they?
How beautiful are they?
Are they even fun?
What is it like to be apart of a certain group of people?

I always imagined the city nightlife to be full of champagne sipping, a room full of beautiful people, talking, laughing, sharing stories of each others' passions, you know, that sort of thing, and I remember wishing that someday I'd be apart of that life someday, and me being the tenacious girl I am, I never let go of that thought. I guess feeling like an outsider all my life had something to do with it a little, but the funny thing was, when I was studying acting at the college, I still kept that thought very close to me! At the time, it felt like that dream was so far away from my grasp, but my heart told me it was a lot closer than I thought it was.

I remember the moment I decided to go to New York to give my aspirations a shot, I thought about socializing with other actors in New York at gatherings, sipping champagne still, and talking about theatre, the arts, playwrights, etc. Of course, I didn't know exactly what to expect really, because I wasn't sure how New York actors were. Were they nice? Were they two-faced? Were they divas, cometitive? Would they even welcome me into their world? I didn't really care what they were. My heart was so set on seeing on what the life was like that the last thing I really worried about was the "competition" or the Manhattan theatre diva or who was nice or mean-spirited or anything. Ironically and much to my surprise, a lot of my college buds didn't bring their ambitions to New York. Instead, they stayed local, which is fine, but I would wonder why, and I remember them saying, "Oh, God...the competition! I could NEVER do it!"

I have to say that DID make me think twice a little bit about giving New York a shot. I could've dodged the idea, stayed local, or whatever, but my heart wouldn't let me. I could give myself excuses, but something inside of me refused to accept or listen to any of them, so with that being said, I decided to go for it. Sure I didn't have a lot of experience being on stage, but like a magnet, something drew me to the city of New York.

Now, as naive as I was when I really first started out in January of 2006, I knew one thing was for sure, because I have been warned: This is a very tough business. You have to be thick-skinned. You are up against a lot of other hopefuls, you will probably hear "no" more than you will hear "yes". And another thing I was warned about was that I was going to be told upfront that if I sucked, they will tell you, but you can't take that personal. I have to say, it is hard not to take harsh criticsm such as that to heart, but it's really true that you can't, because it never is personal -- it's strictly business. And you would think that someone like me, who is sensitive and whatnot, would be too afraid to give New York a try, but still, my heart wouldn't let me say "no". So, I went anyways.

When all of this started, I actually made a vow with myself, because I knew what to expect and I knew how fragile my mind was back then. I promised myself that no matter what happens, I wasn't going to walk away or allow myself get discouraged enough to give up. Sure I put my feelings on the line. I put my courage on the line, too. Sure, I've had moments of disappointments, but I've decided when I first came to New York, that no one - and I mean NO ONE - has a say on whether I continue or discontinue this journey, but me, and NO ONE is going to stand in my way from doing so. And even 'til this day, I still stand by that vow.

It's an odd vow, but it's something I strongly do feel, and I have to say, it has helped me whenever I came face to face with disappointments or heartbreak.

I think the one thing that's never changed about me since when I started coming to the city is that I don't give up easily. I don't believe in it. I don't believe in jumping to conclusions. I believe it's healthy and neccessary to take chances. I believe we are the ones who decide what our fate is, that nothing's written in stone. Anything is really possible! The thing with me is that people can laugh at me, say I'm hopeless, say I'm the worst actor in all of New York City, tell me I don't have a chance, and yeah, it would break my heart, but people can also tell me to give up and tell me to go home to Jersey, I won't do it. You can say anything you want to me, call me what you will, even push me in the biggest mud pile, just don't tell me to give up. I don't work that way.

One of my dreams coming to New York was to socialize and get a taste of the theatrical night life, and I'm happy to say that small part - that itty-bitty dream did come true! Granted, I don't do it every night, but when there's a chance to meet and greet with others, I take it. When there's a chance for me to learn something new, I try and take that as well. Sure, I get nervous, but that's only natural, yet I never let it stop me. If I were to allow ANYTHING to keep me from anything, I'd be kicking myself in the behind for months and months on. I'd NEVER forgive myself.

I've met enough people in this lifetime who wanted to be something special or make something special out of themselves, but never had the courage or willpower or even the mindset to do it, and that always saddens me. I think that's also the reason why I am driven - I don't want to live like that and have to miss out just because I was afraid to. I think people are afraid that others won't believe in them or they're afraid of being criticized. Trust me, I've been called a "starving actress" despite the fact that I don't have a big resume and that I'm just getting started. I've been told I was crazy. I was even told I was too shy and that I didn't have the personality. I've gotten some not so great reviews in classes both in college and even in New York. I've even been told that I may not be cut out for this industry, but who cares? I'm still here, and everyday, I feel as if I'm just getting started!

If this industry is meant for me, I'd be beyond grateful. If there ever comes a day my heart tells me this career isn't for me, I will simply bow out, accept it that way, and find something else to do whether it's related to the theatre world or not. That happens, too. There are actors who are very talented who decide to focus on other things after a while. Some stick to the industry, others go a totally different route. However, reguardless what happens, I will not regret any of this. At least I can say that I lived the way I wanted to and not the way others expect me to or wished for me to. =)

My thing is this: Even if I were my one and only supporter of this, that's fine.  (Fortunately, though, I'm not, so no worries - I'm just generally speaking here). I don't feel I need to prove anything to anybody. I don't neccessarily KNOW what's going to happen, but I still stick close to that same promise. If one thing don't work out, something else will! There are millions of ways of achieving your goals and getting in touch with your dreams, but if you hold on and allow yourself to overcome hardships, welcome challenges, and not let anyone take anything precious away from you such as your dignity, they can come true, no matter what they may be.

See, I don't believe we fail, because we don't make it. I believe we fail, because we don't try in the first place. So far, though, a small portion of my dream has come true! I love networking! I love socializing! I enjoy the theatrical NYC nightlife very much, and although my experiences for now are small, just imagine what that all could possibly lead to! The only thing I've done was allow my instincts lead me, and luckily for me, my instincts have lead me to really good-natured, generous people. People who don't compete, but rather support one another.  People who are willing to help and inspire, who are humble, but love what they do! The gatherings aren't high-class fancy like I imagined, which is great, but I like the laid-back, down-to-Earth atmosphere. So, on that note, my old mates from college acting classes are missing out. See what happens when you jump to conclusion and let your fears get the best of you? Yep! *nods*

You see, everybody? Dreams DO come true - no matter how big or how small! =) But remember the one rule of thumb when going after your dreams:   Just do it for yourself and not for anyone else!

Remember Hillel, the elder: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"

And think of your instincts like money -- use them very wisely! XD

Oh and btw: I never actually sipped champagne with anyone in the industry at any gatherings....yet. XD Actors' Champagne Gathering...interesting.... *smiles*

That's enough candy for now!
Go treat yourself to some strawberries and champagne and I will see you in July! XD

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 024: THE 1ST NYC ACTOR'S TWEETUP

2010-06-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Sugar" by Ladytron
TIME: 1:46 PM

Me being photographed w/ Erin Cronican, Alan Gordon, Lee Cavellier, Gary Ploski, and Ivan Goris @ 1st NYC ActorsTweetUp @ the Bullmoose Saloon in Manhattan - photo courtesy of Erin Cronican

HEY, GUESS WHAT???!!!!

You're gonna be VERY surprised, but usually when I go to events and such and blog about it, I rant and I rave as if I just won the lottery or smooched Gerard Butler (*faints*), but......I'm not going to! XD Why? Well, before I do tell you, here's a quickie on the story behind the picture of these creative, crazy, and interesting characters. XD

Monday night (June 7th, 2010 to be exact), I went to a mixer called the NYC Actors TweetUp, which was being hosted by my business coach, Erin Cronican, and her friend, fellow-actor, Marissa Mutascio. How did this night came about you ask? Here's how (according to Miss C):

"Marissa and I had been following each other on Twitter for a while. One day, she and I remarked how Los Angeles had just completed a very successful Tweetup, and we were envious. A few days later, Marissa contacted me personally and asked if I might be interested in helping her plan the event. She said that she was impressed with the number of people I knew in NYC through being an actor and a coach, and if there was one thing she knew about acting, it's that you network with people that offer something you can learn from. I agree- Marissa brings a can-do spirit and a willingness to do whatever it takes to reach her goals, which is always inspiring! So, we collaborated, with a little help from our friends in LA (especially @BenWhitehair) and the 1st NYC Tweetup was underway!"

Pretty cool, huh?! =)

Prior to this, it's been a while since I've really socialized with other actors/industry folks, so it was nice to be in the city again, meeting and greeting with a really great bunch of people, and it was also nice to see some old friends again whom I haven't seen in a while! =D The reason why I'm NOT gonna rant and rave - perhaps much to peoples' surprise - is because Erin and I were the paparazzi! I asked her if I could bring a camera with me so I can post them on my website and on Facebook, and she granted me permission to do so! Actually, I think she was enthusiastic to hear that I wanted to!

So, with that being said, instead of letting the blog and myself do the talking (as usual), I'm gonna let my new photo gallery on my site do the talking for you, because you know they say: A picture worth a thousand words! XD What yo do is select the NETWORKING icon on the easy navigator page, and you'll be directed to the first and so far only photo gallery under that category, which is the NYC ActorsTweetUp from Monday night.

NOTE: I only posted my pictures from that night. Erin's pictures can be viewed on the Facebook group.

All I'm going to say now is that I had LOTS of fun! BIG thanks, EVERYONE, for letting me photograph them and helping contribute to CristinaCho.net just by smiling for my little red camera! And kudos to both Erin and Marissa! =)

If you're in the NYC area and you're apart of our industry, do join us for the next time! For now, if you're on Facebook, you can join the group and be notified for dates on future TweetUps!

By the way: I was going to post a second blog today, but I think I'm going to save what I had in mind and what I wanted to talk about for a little later. Also, I'm going to withdrawing myself from website updates for a while and even blogging - perhaps - because as of right now, I've got A LOT of things I need to take care of. Good things, though, no worries! =)

I'm returning to working with Alan in July, and even though I do have something prepped for when I start again, I've still got to work on my scene just so I can see if I'm still on the same boat here with him since it has been a while since I've actually worked with directly with Mr. Gordon. We have set a certain goal, one we very much both agree on, and I really, really, really, really, really am determined to reach it, so I have to work really hard this time - no funny business, no half-assed work, no worrying about how well I'm gonna do, no big expectations or any far-fetched promises to anybody (including myself), no nothing, but pure positive energy, lots of spirit, some meditating (which I KNOW I'm gonna be needing), and perhaps confidence, too! So, I'm gonna try my best...even better than before...better than I ever have any way at all! *nods*

All right, people, enjoy the pictures! Go on, now! SHOO! =)

Erin Cronican and Marissa Mutascio - the two women who made it all possible! =)

Thanks again as always for having me! =) photo courtesy of Erin Cronican

That's enough candy for now!!!!

Talk to you guys soon!

Cristina

http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 023: PERMISSION TO BE LAZY???

2010-06-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "More, More, More" by Young @uD!o Feat. Shamyra
TIME: 7:53 AM

*WARNING: This blog entry is completely random and near pointless, but I have to ask anyways....

I have a question: Are actors allowed to be lazy?

Whoa - I don't mean lazy in their work -- good God, NO! Everyone knows there's NO laziness when it comes to our work...even though sometimes, you do run into the occasional lazy actor. I mean lazy as in "relax just for one day and do absolutely nothing without thinking about their career or anything linked to it"? I mean, we are human, right?

Being lazy is the HARDEST thing for me to do! I used to be lazy, but I'm not anymore! Actually, being lazy is lame and boring, but my thing is this: I am like this ball of energy - I am always keeping myself busy. I work a full-time job, study my slides for class, do my yoga, do the Weight Watcher's meetings, work on website when needed, do a new blog, go to the occasional mixer in NYC or a play or showcase, and I have a VERY active social life in Jersey, because I do have a lot of friends - not saying I go out every night, though. With my schedule, I don't have the time to be "lazy" really. I'm like a robot sometimes, but I don't mind, becasue quite frankly, I'm also one of types of people who can't sit still. I need to be either entertained, distracted, or keeping my hands busy. I'm also pretty good at multi-tasking, which is a plus! XD To be frank, I have trouble RELAXING! I feel like if I relax for even one second, I automatically feel "lazy". Not good, but....well, let's just say I can probably put the Energizer Bunny to shame.

However, yesterday, something came over me when a friend of mine called me when I was working on the last blog entry and I kept my phone on vibrate. It's not that I was mad at my friend or anything....I just didn't feel like talking. I thought, "You know what? I want to just be alone today. I don't want to do nothing. Absolutely NOTHING! Talk to my voicemail. " I could've been walking on the beach yesterday and hurled my Blackberry into the ocean and I wouldn't have cared. All I cared about yesterday was absolute solitude and to be away from my busy life just for one day! And yesterday, that's exactly what I did -- absolutely NOTHING, but play around on Facebook, Twitter, and the ever-addicting FARMVILLE. I very rarely get a chance to do absolutely nothing. Did it feel nice, though? Ehhhhhh....not sure, actually!

I don't enjoy sitting around doing absolutely nothing, but I'm not hyperactive where I carry a big whip and go, "Mush, mush, mush..." on myself or anything. I, personally, love being busy! I love working - not at my job - but I love working when it comes to my career. Take my blog for an example -- I don't care how many readers I do or don't get -- I love to blog! Take my website as another example as well -- I enjoy working on it when I feel like giving something a new layout design or even if I am adding a new link or photos or whatever. And although I started working on "Collected Stories" long before I've officially made a date to return to class, I started studying it simply because I felt like it. Well, I also fell in love with the play itself and I absolutely adored Lisa, so I thought, "Okay, I'mma gonna pick at this girl's brain!"

Then there is time for friends, and I have to say, I have the most awesome friends in the world! I have a quite a big social life here in Jersey - there's a lot more than just the pictures posted on Facebook, too. We always have fun whether we are at a bar, having dinner or dessert, chilling at someone's house, going to the movies, hanging at a bowling alley, tearing up the dancefloor at a club (especially the Headliner - yes, the same place that was mentioned on MTV's "Jersey Shore"), or even just randomly driving around the Jersey shore for no reason at all, but to chit chat and listen to music.

So, I guess you can say I work hard and I play hard. =D But yesterday, I wanted to nothing to do with either one, and as I'm lazing around the house, doing nothing real special, I'm thinking, "Is this even legal?" I swear, it was probably the weirdest feeling in the world, and in a way, I kind of felt like I tied little weights to my ankles to just to allow my Korean bum to relax....just....for....one...daaaaaayyyyyyy! I'm sometimes surprised my hair isn't falling out yet and that I'm not all wrinkly like a prune yet with the way I function. Well, I'm glad I don't look like that just yet! I don't want to be all wrinkly at the age of twenty-eight! O_o

Truth is this:   sometimes, you have to allow yourself to be lazy once in a while I suppose when you're a busy girl like me or extremely energetic! I have to force myself to do it from time to time, and that's okay, but once the energy is restored, I'm off like a rocket! I love it, though! I hope I'm this energetic when I'm well into my fifties!  One day of full-on laziness isn't gonna kill me or my career, but this is a habit I am NOT gonna get myself into all too much, because right now, I need something to do! It's Sunday, right? Well, I'm gonna make this day a busy one while almost everybody else chills! Lookie here...I'm already doing it now just by randonly blogging! XD Actually, if I DO get a moment of "laziness" every once in a great while, it's never 100%, because yesterday, I also posted a blog entry, fixed up a few things on my blog, and I even texted my friend for a while later on that night, because she and her boyfriend were just chilling at home in their apartment.   So, I guess yesterday, I was 95% lazy.

Today, though, I want to keep myself busy! So, I'm gonna do that! Tomorrow night is the NYC Actors' TweetUp at the Bullmoose Saloon in Manhattan, and I can't wait! I have to work early in the morning, come home, glam up, catch a train, and then socialize! =) Also, I have to do a major wardrobe raid, because I have NO CLUE WHATSOEVER on what I'm gonna wear tomorrow!   I get the whole trying to look my best from my grandma, who was always known for accessorizing, polishing her nails, spraying a mist of her fravorite perfume, and fixing her make-up! XD

Oh, and before I go: I promised my co-worker that I'd do this for him. Check out his music link on YouTube: YoungAudioMusic. His name is Zuberi, but he goes by the name, Young@ud!o, and I've been working with him for almost a year, I think? Really cool guy, very gifted! He's a songwriter, musician, producer, and like me, he splits his time between both NYC and Jersey - only he's in the music industry; I'm in the acting industry. I have a lot of respect for him, because he really is dedicated to his work, extremly ambitious, and to be honest, I think he's gonna make it! And I have to say, he does inspire me to push forward in my own ambitions! So, please, do check out his music! =)

All right - I'm gonna close this random blog now and get myself back to work with studying and raiding my closet for tomorrow night! Pics WILL be up on both the website and on the blog, and I will let you know how it all goes!

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 022: THE REAL REASON WHY I WENT INTO ACTING

2010-06-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Bulletproof" by La Roux (this song goes perfect with this blog entry, don'tcha think? Listen to the lyrics!)
TIME: 1:56 PM

*This blog entry is dedicated to those who've willing made positive changes in their lives and inspire others to do the same!

In my BIO on my site, I state that I went into acting because I "needed a change..." and that I wanted to "give my little itty-bitty ounce of courage a try." No worries -- I'm not calling myself a liar or saying that isn't true, because it is, but there is more to it than just that. =)

In my short period of time of being a NYC pro-actor-in-training, I've met a lot of really great and talented people, but very rarely do you ever hear reasons to WHY people go into acting in the first place. Some people go into it, because they've been doing it all their lives. Some do it to follow in the footsteps of their parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. Some do it, because they straight-up want to be famous, want to be big movie or TV or Broadway stars. Some even do it, because someone behind them is twisting their arm to do it. Some do it, because they've got big, off-the-wall personalities that could draw in an audience like a moth to a flame. Or some even go into it, because of the same reasons as me...according to my bio that is!

I always see the NYC acting industry as a subculture of millions, and we all have stories to tell. We all reasons to why we are here, but usually when the question is asked, the answer is pretty general. So, I'm here to confess to you that GENERALLY, I am doing this, because back in college when I was majoring in visual art and whatnot, I DID need a change, and yes, I was giving my "itty-bitty" ounce of courage a try. Honestly, though, the REAL reason to why I went into acting is, because I wanted to get something I never, really had in my entire life. And that thing is.....

............CONFIDENCE!

I find it funny, because people go through GREAT lengths to find confidence. It's like confidence is up there to the things you can't put a price on like true love or self-discovery or whatever. I, personally, think (since confidence IS a hot thing to have) that some people try to seek it the wrong way. That they DO put a price on it by purchasing a whole new wardrobe and getting themselves a new look and whatnot. I think it's more than just the clothes you wear or what you have on the outside. Confidence, if anything, is a state of mind. It's about being outside of your head and just letting life take over as oppose to wanting to be in control of your surroundings and every situation you are in.

Shall I explain?

When I was a little kid, I was EXTREMELY shy! I didn't make a lot of friends. I kept to myself a lot in school. I even was made fun of, and I even remember back in first grade, some kid named Roger, who didn't think so highly of me, told me I wasn't "pretty." That was not cool when you're six years old and you feel so out of place already being a Korean and growing up in town where almost everybody around you was Caucasian.

This went well into my high school years, too, and one thing I do remember in high school are oral reports. Even 'til this day when I hear "oral report", I feel my heart drop, because I dreaded oral reports! The fact that I had to literally stand in front of classmates, look them straight in the eye, and give out a report scared the you-know-what out of me! I'd do anything to try and get myself out of it. I never was a bad kid when I was in high school like I never had the courage or even the heart to skip class or cut school, so I just sucked it up and did it. It didn't always help when you were standing in front of the class that you'd get that small group who used to snicker at you. For some reason, I always felt these people would laugh at me and not at anyone else.

My fears followed me even after graduating high school in 2000. For the longest time, I have developed this big dislike for myself. I had no confidence in myself at all, and I have developed a very negative outlook on life. Granted, I knew how to draw and I loved to write, but I thought poorly of my artistic work. But deep down inside, a small part of me hated living life like that.  I would sometimes look at myself in the mirror and wonder why I wasn't pretty enough? Why I couldn't get a boyfriend? Why don't I have a lot of friends? What is wrong with me? Is it such a bad thing to be different?

When I decided to try acting out at the college, that was really my goal in mind, because I was sick of not having any confidence in myself. I thought, "Well, maybe if I try acting, be on stage, and whatnot, I can get my confidence back!"  I "thought" I got it back after doing "The Vagina Monologues", and you would think that I probably did when I did poetry readings for Sister Spit, but I really didn't. How do I know that? A confident person wouldn't brag about not caring what others think nor would she stand in front of an audience while doing performance poetry readings with her head down in her book of writings or avoid eye contact with her audience and make no attempt to connect with them. No, no, no, no, no, no!

Not a good thing, but I also carried the baggage with me to New York City, and if anything, when you enter a whole different world than your little hometown, your "safe haven", and you've got a big lack of confidence and lots of baggage, it's not fun. I was excited, because I was in the big city and willing to challenge myself, but I was scared of a lot of things. I was on my own, making my own decisions, and I was going after a career where a lot of people haven't gone far into. But the New York experience was awesome, because I was able to meet really great people in class and I had a really, really great coach, all whom I adored very much. However, one of the big mistakes I've made is I made myself feel mediocre compared to these people. I wanted to at least grab one of them, look them in the eye, and ask them, "Why do you like me? Why are you around me? Why are you so nice to me? I don't understand it! Why?"

You can have the greatest people in the world around you, but none of it means a thing if you don't feel good about yourself!  Like I felt like I didn't deserve these great people in my life, and that's an even worse than being snickered at by your high school peers. Feeling you don't deserve anything good in life when you crave it more than anything is probably one of the most rotten feelings in the world. Being inside your head all too much in class and even in life itself. Living in fear. Living negatively. Not liking yourself. Not good qualities to have in life at all, whether you're an actor in any major city or bankteller at a bank out in the middle of nowhere.

So, with that, I went into therapy and I worked with a really excellent therapist in New York. However, instead of letting him "cure" me, what I did was I kept journals, penned down my experiences in great detail, left nothing uncensored to myself no matter how much it hurt, and as time went by, I began to feel better about myself. I realized the mistakes I've made with others. I even began to find answers to why people wanted to get to know me. I began to understand myself more, too, and even began to like myself. This is going to sound weird, but I made myself look in the mirror again and this time, I made myself say things like, "I'm pretty." or "I'm a good girl." or "I look good today." I had to start complimenting myself. I also had to remind myself that no one is perfect and no one can be perfect. I'm not perfect. I never was meant to be it. I could only try to be the best I can.

I even began to start networking, thanks to the Bite Size Business Soirees, and every time I'm at the mixers, I get this feeling come over me where I realized that I LOVE to talk to people and that I LOVE meeting new people, and I get the same exact feeling when I'm hanging out with my friends at bars, house parties, clubs, BBQ's, or wherever we shall roam! I even stopped questioning the people around me. I didn't need a reason to know why people were around me or why they wanted to get to know me or why they were nice to me. I guess the fact that I can be a friendly chatterbox is enough ! XD

Unfortunately, this also meant I HAD to cut ties with some negative people in my life, and although that hurt and I didn't want to, it was really for the best. Sometimes people around you can have a negative impact on you if they are downers themselves. I mean, it may sound cruel, bu it's really nothing new - it happens. You just pick yourself up and you move on. Sometimes, it HAS to be done, but lately, I've surrounded myself with a really great group of people, really good hearted people, and hopefully, I've repared some broken relationships with others along the line. *crosses fingers* Despite the tears and the heartbreak, it was all worth it! Also, with the help of yoga practices, Weight Watchers, and Gabrielle Bernstein's book, I've began to really, really, really believe in myself! I began to open my mind more to others, slowly take down this wall. It's great!

I came into this industry HOPING to get my confidence back, and I thought I'd get it through performing onstage, but I didn't! I think what I did was just allowed myself to become more open minded not only to my surroundings, but also with myself, too! I also stopped making myself feel mediocre against others. Ironically, I went into acting and I did get a good chunk of my confidence back. There are more things I am working on still, but as each passing day goes by, it's just keeps getting better. Not only has my professional life gotten better, but my personal life has gotten even better, too! To think when I was feeling rotten about everything, I wasn't able to have these kinds of things! When you do feel negative about life, you miss out on A LOT! Also, you don't allow yourself to enjoy things like you do when you're positive! Looking back at the person I used to be, I can't believe I used to be like that!

So, that's my story...or at least some of it. I still have a long ways to go. I still have some things I'm working on! I'm always looking forward to tomorrow! No, I'm not where I am exactly where I want to be career-wise or even personally, but I believe in myself, so eventually and hopefully, I will get there! It takes time, but that's how it works. Your fate always lies in your hands and your hands alone. Also, I hope to apply my new-found confidence to my acting career! I'm sure it'll come in handy somehow! XD

Reason why I am posting this is because I have this annoyance with people who are jealous, closed-minded, and believe that good things only come to people who are "lucky". That is NOT true at all! And I can say this, because I used to think like that. If anything, you can turn your bad attitudes around by letting yourself lose some sort of control with life. What I mean is instead of anticipating things to happen or expecting things to happen, just sit back and let them happen, but still have some kind of control by working hard! In our industry, there's no need to be jealous of others. Actually, it's unneccessary! There's no way you can be in with a closed mind, and if there is such a thing as "luck" when you're an actor or anything, it's created, because you create it! =) You always create your own luck in this world! You can be in the deepest hole and you can always climb out of it if you believe you can!  And on another note: Confidence is NOT cockiness. It's good to think and to believe you deserve good things in life! It's VERY important to love yourself! Complimenting yourself is essential, too. Cockiness is if you brag about yourself, belittle others, and judge others, which is a sign of low self-esteem. Also, when you have low self-esteem, you judge yourself way too much, and when you do that, you begin to believe that you don't deserve anything good in life. Don't do that. Don't think like that, either! Actor or not, NO ONE should think that way.

So, do yourself a favor, let life be enjoyable! Touch it! Taste it! Don't worry too much! Granted, we all have dreams and goals, but awesome things will only happen when the time IS right and if YOU do something about it! Forgive your past mistakes, forgive yourself, forgive others. Don't jump to conclusions! Learn from every experience! And that, folks, is why my life is - if you want my honest opinion - so f**king fantastic and I'm loving it! And I hope that you're smiling and saying the same thing about yours! I really do! Keep smiling!!!!! =D

Oh and, one last thing:   I'm not really shy anymore! As a matter of fact, sometimes, you might have to go to great lengths to get me to stop chit-chatting! But BEFORE I do that, I am going to this really awesome event this Monday night in the city called the NYC ActorsTweetUp, hosted by my business coach, Erin Cronican, and her friend, Marissa Mutascio, who is also a NY actor. I can't wait! I was even granted permission to take pictures, so I'll be posting pics on the website and on the blog! This is gonna be fun! Wonder who is going, too? WHOO-HOO! =D

"Be more concerned with character than reputation. Character is what you are, reputation is what people think you are." - John Wooden

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 021: TOOTHACHES, JULY, AND MANDELBRODT

2010-05-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

MUSIC: "Summer of '09" by All Caps (check this song out, it's pretty cool!)
TIME: 12:35 PM

I'm taking a month break from city life in New York, unless, of course, I'm summoned up there for something important like a soiree or anything in that nature. And currently, as I post this blog, I'm waiting for 3:40 to come, because I have to go to the dentist for a root canal! Yay.

For the past couple of days, I've been suffering from EXCRUCIATING pain from the right side of my mouth, and it just so happens that I need a root canal. No biggie, because I've had a root canal before, but still, the pain is a REAL killer! After four tattoos, eleven piercings (and only four of them left), two bee stings, working in a kitchen where I've accidentally botten burnt by soup, sauces fresh off the oven, the hot plate holder, and the fact that I'm a girl, I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but when it comes toothaches, FORGET IT! I mean, I was in TEARS from the pain. I usually don't cry over pain like this, but I was crying my eyes out. I felt like an infant!

My dentist prescribed me Clindamycin and oxycodone, which knocked me out completely, and helps ease the killer toothache, but the thing is, I don't like analgesics one bit. I don't like how they make you feel and the side effects are NOT fun! And I can't wait for this root canal to be over and done with that way I can flush the rest of the oxycodone down the toilet. The Clindamycin I have to finish the bottle -- doctor's instructions, and luckily, the side effects aren't as extreme. But that oxycodone made me feel like a deflated balloon! Knocks my energy right out of the ballpark!

Anywho...I will be all better once I get the root canal done! No more pain! No more oxycodone! Whoo-hoo!!!! See...even actors-in-training get toothaches! XD

Okay...now...I usually don't post a new blog so close to the last time I do it, but I had to this time. Not only to announce a brief one month hiatus from city life or even my anguish over a toothache, but I have some pretty good news.

This July, the day I actually return to the city, I am officially am going to be working again with Alan Gordon, my acting coach. This will be the first time I'm REALLY working with him after two years. I know I went to the workshop back in March, but I didn't directly work with him (and that was a great night -- loved it). I'm really looking forward to working with Alan again, but like I said before in the last blog, I'm not willing to be perfect or to even be praised or applauded. I think that's a big thing when you're a student: you do want that applause and you do want to be perfect, because you do want some sort of approval. That ray of hope like, "Am I cut out for this, please, tell me I am?" Especially when you want it so baddly.

Trust me, I've been there. We all have! But being in acting class and working with a really great coach isn't about pleasing anybody or asking, "Am I cut out for this?" It's really about mustering as much knowledge as you can for your own benefit. It's about pushing your own limits, challenging yourself, because in the end, the only person who matters most when it comes to your career aspirations is yourself. Your coaches can't make it happen for you. Your agent can't. Neither can your friends or supporters or even the people you network with. That all lies in YOUR hands and your hands alone.

Another thing I've learned from the beginning of my New York journey is that despite the fact that I do have really excellent coaches, I can't expect them to feed me information or to make me into a business woman or even an actor. Please, if you're an acting student of any kind, may I suggest that you do your homework and research on things yourself, too? Then bring the information you DO find to your business coach or even your acting coach and then get their input? Not saying you have to come into a room all cocky and know everything, but come in with questions. It don't hurt! WORK WITH THEM! Don't make them do the work for you!

I've made that mistake, too, and the results of expecting too much from your coach is NOT pretty! So, don't do it! If anything, your studies in this industry take LOTS of dedication. Nothing is to be taken for granted, and don't be afraid to ask questions! Every wiseman starts out by asking lots of questions. =)

So, what I'm going to do after weeks of studying my play (it's more than what you think), I'm just going to go in there and give it my best shot. I'm going to give confidence a try actually! Hell, I might even pull a Maria Von Trapp and start singing the song like Julie Andrews did in "The Sound of Music" when she was on the way to the Von Trapp house when I make my way down to the Player's Theatre on MacDougal. Can you imagine?! I'm kidding - I'm not gonna do that!

You know what? I'm not really nervous! Usually before class, I'd get nervous, but I'm not really nervous. I think the fact that I am not expecting perfection this time is what keeps me away from being nervous. The worse that could happen is if I'm told it needs more work, right? *shrugs* You know what? I'm excited!!!!!!! *smiles*

One last thing (random, I know): When I was doing research on this play, I looked up what "mandelbrodt" (or mandel bread aka "Jewish biscottis") was. So, I Googled "mandel bread", and the funny thing is, they look like these cookies I used to eat when I was a toddler. I can still see the box. It's a babyblue and white checkered box with a picture of these mini biscottis with the Nabisco label in the corner. I can't remember what they were called, but when I first saw a picture of the mandelbrodt, that's the first thing that came to mind. I can still feel the crumbs from this cookie or mini biscotti falling in the palm of my hand after that one bite when I think of them. They were pretty hard, too. I liked them. I wonder if mandelbrodt is the same?

I never really had my share of Jewish foods. The only things I've had were potato knishes (**yummy!!!!**) and matzah. I can't remember what the matzah tastes like, because my mom ate it all when I brought a box of it home from school one time. Grrrrr....

That's enough candy and mandelbrodt for now!
See ya in July, New York! XOXOXO

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 020: HUNGRY????

2010-05-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

MUSIC:   "Pray (Quo Vadis Remix)" by Every Little Thing
TIME:   1:18 PM

HELLOOOOOO....long time; not talk, eh?

Well, actually, what happened was my FTP server was being a super diva with me, so I actually neglected fixing or working with it for a while, which is why I haven't updated my site or my blog in a while.

Reason why I haven't blogged in a while, either, is because not only because of the super diva behavior of the FTP server, but also, because I wanted to get away from the computer. Yup! I wanted to do more than just "blog" about things that have been happening, and for the past couple of weeks, I've been doing some endless studying on a couple of things. Let's just say, I needed a break from the computer -- BIG TIME!!!!

During my blogging hiatus, I actually discovered a way to make, create, and edit videos, and ever since I opened my site up, I've been WANTING to do a video introduction. I just didn't know HOW to do it. But my friend and website/graphics program consultant, Angel, rescued my worries on that note, so when I finally get a chance to do some playing around and fiddling, I am so gonna do a video introduction for my site! =)

I know, it's not overly important or neccessary to do a video introduction for a website, but the thing is this:    I am pretty camera shy, and I feel rather awkward about my voice. So, I don't always enjoy looking at myself on my computer screen (from the crazy random videos I shoot when I'm out with my friends in Jersey) and I don't hate my voice, I'm just not used to hearing it. My voice is odd. Some people say I have an accent. Some people say I don't -- it's just flat, standard American. Some people in New York think I have a Jersey accent. Some people down here think I am on the verge of developing a slight New York accent. One person told me I have a "half-assed New York accent". And another person said I sound "street smart"...I have a sweet and innocent look, but I sound "street smart". XD

I personally don't think I have an accent, but I do have the tendency to drop a few words that make me sound like I'm from either Jersey City or Brooklyn. For example, it's very hard for me to say "idea" without it sounding like "idey-ar"....and I can thank my family from Jersey City for that one. And I noticed that when I say "NEW YORK", it's VERY hard to just say "YORK". My "New York" sounds like "New YAWRK". They say it all depends on how you roll your tongue, too. But anyway...reason for the video blogs is because I guess it gets me used to being in front of the camera....and plus, maybe it would help me get away from stuttering a little.

We'll see....

ALSO, a little bit of a confession: I've been on Weight Watchers for the past 20-something weeks, and all together, I've lost a total of 22.8 lbs! I feel awesome! As a matter of fact, here's a before and after picture on the bottom:

I really didn't want to post that picture, because the before picture of me is rather embarrassing, makes me cringe, but in the second picture, that was actually when I dropped down to 18 lbs. Of course, four more pounds lighter than I am in this photo, I'm more slim now than I am in either one of them. Luckily, for me, my face hasn't changed all too much, because my face is naturally round as it already is. For a while, I feared that I would have to contact Matthew (Sussman) again to get my headshots re-done, but it just so happens I don't -- thank God!

Actually, besides watching what I'm eating without depriving myself, I've also started doing YOGA, which is becoming a second passion of mine next to acting! I don't take a class or study with anyone at the moment. What I do is I do the DVDs in the privacy of my home by Rodney Yee. The great thing is that they are pretty effective, and despite what anyone says or thinks about yoga, you actually DO get a great workout from doing even the simplest poses. When I first started them, OH MY GOD -- I'd be sore EVERYWHERE! Now a days, I don't get as sore, though. I am a little more limber than I used to be, but I can't really twist myself into a pretzel. But yoga's really meditation, is supposed to relieve stress. I really, really enjoy it! LOVE IT!!!! Meditating is great, too, and comes in handy when it comes to performing, too. I calms your nerves, helps you relax, ease your fears. It's something that I'm really new at, so I'm still working on it. Takes time to master and I wouldn't call myself a full-time yogini yet, but...I'm getting there!!!!

SPEAKING OF performing, another reason why I've been absent is, because I've been studying "Collected Stories" by Don Margulies. The play's coming to Broadway, which is really cool. It's an AWESOME play! I really connected with Lisa Morrison, the protege of Ruth Steiner, and for the past couple of weeks, I've been going over my slides over and over again, developing a backstory to this character. The tough thing with this play is that each act takes place either a couple of months or years later than the previous one, so I had to develop events that happened in between each part. Some plays take place within only a few minutes or a few hours after each even or even a day or two. Despite the challenge, I was able to get creative and paint this picture of her life as Ruth Steiner's student -- from being just another face in her class to her personal assistant (who takes a lot of verbal beatings from her mentor/idol) to becoming a personal friend. I'm not going to go over what happens. If you read it, you know. I'm REALLY enjoying studying this play A LOT!

Lisa and I share a couple of qualities, which makes it easy for me. There are somethings we don't. Either way, I can't wait to present it to my coach. I'm not sure how he'll react to how I've been working, but all the years I haven't really taken my craft as seriously as I do now-a-days, I guess you can say I'm making up for now. I'm not expecting a big praise from my coach and I'm not expecting to be perfect, either. I'm going to give it my best shot, though! First, though, I have to send out an email to him...or I could call him! Then again, I never know when a good time to call would be, because I know Alan keeps himself busy, like almost everybody in this industry does, including myself! =) Then again, there's a reason why voice mails exist incase he isn't available, right? XD I have put a lot into my studies by far, so it MIGHT pay off. If he feels it needs more, then I'm willing to give more. It's hard studying by yourself, in absolute solitude. I know, people say you should practice with friends, but as they would say in Meisner, words are just words. As an actor, your job is to bring your character to life, make their lives REAL to you. You don't make a character's life real just by memorizing words, because your lines can't be "just words", they have to have a specific, clear meaning to you. You have to know what makes you happy, what makes you sad, how certain things, places, events, and other effect you -- what do they mean to you? And you develop this from either the strength of your imagination OR you can weed it out from your own personal experiences.

All right, I think I said just about enough now! That's what I've been up to! I plan on doing more with my website as soon as I find the time to do it. It's great to be back and it's great to be able to blog again!

Be well, everyone! =)

That's enough candy for now!
Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 019: ALAN GORDON'S WORKSHOP

2010-03-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

MUSIC: "Rude Boy" by Rihanna
TIME: 5:56 PM

Not a lot of people know this, but my New York journey (as I like to call it) actually started on the exact date of January 17th, 2006 (and I've got an upcoming blog idea in which I will talk about what I've learned as an acting student from that date to today). That was the first night I met my long-time acting coach, Alan Gordon, and came to the Player's Theatre located on (115 MacDougal St. in the village) for the first time in my entire life. Little did I know that night, my entire life would change, both professionally and personally...but we're gonna stick to the professional side of this story. XD

I found Alan in the pages of Backstage. At the time, the Barnes and Noble in my little hometown of Brick, NJ did sell copies of Backstage, but now-a-days, they no longer do. I don't know why, either. I guess they weren't selling. I mean, let's be frank, how many people in Brick are gonna travel two hours by train just to take acting classes?

Also, at the time, Alan didn't have a website nor a Facebook page, so the only way I could find out information about him and his classes was if I emailed him, which was no problem. What I learned about Alan was that was a seasoned professional actor, taught Meisner, and that his classes were on Tuesday nights in New York City. Prior to this, the only training I really had was what I got from the courses at my college. It's a start, but college training is a whole different ball game from training with someone in New York.

Anywho....when I first met Alan Gordon that night to audit his class, he was really cool. That night, I met only two students of his -- one of them was Kristian, whom I've gotten to known a little more over the years and has become a friend of mine, and the other was.....oh geeze, I forgot her name! Hmmmm...was it Marcella? Ehhh...we'll just call her Marcella.

I remember Alan and Kristian talking about football before class started, and I kind of smirked and I said something along the lines to them, "So, you get to come into acting class and also bullshit about football, huh?" Not that I'm a fan of the sport in the first place, but what stood out to me was how personable Alan was.

On a quick side note, before I continue: When I first meet people and before I decided to work with them, I try to observe peoples' personalities. Reason for that is because if I catch someone being rude, negative, sarcastic, mundane, or even too sickening sweet where the personality is "too good to be true", I pass on them. You definitely don't wanna work with someone who is rude or negative or even sarcastic, and you, of course, wouldn't want the support of someone who has lackluster passion. In the case of a coach -- an acting coach ESPECIALLY -- you don't want someone who is "sickening sweet" and what I mean by that is someone who is going to shower you with false praise or isn't going to be honest with you if you're not doing your job well. For me, personally, a "sickening sweet" acting coach is poison to your craft, your career, your pysche, and your self-esteem, and it will all eventually come crumbling down. So, please, trust me on this -- if the coach sounds like he or she sugarcoats or doesn't bring specifics to the table in his/her teachings, do yourself and your money a favor --- MOVE ON!

On the other hand, you can tell when people have these sour qualities even when you are sitting down with them for the first time and talking to them when you audit the class. You can see it when you audit for their classes, and you can even hear it in the voices of the person's students, whether they enjoy their coach or if they don't.

Example: One of the things that stood out to me that night when I briefly spoke with Kristian, (and he was beaming with glee when he said this), he tells me, "This is the best day in the entire week!" I heard how excited he was just being in that room that night -- it's as if he was a king in his dream castle.

Now, to make this really long story short, I couldn't explain this feeling at all, but something in my gut told me that he was the acting coach for me. So, without even auditing other acting coaches, I decided to jump aboard the bandwagon with him, and ever since then, Alan's been my coach. I've worked with Alan in scene study. I've done the improvisation/technique classes with him. And I even studied with him privately. I'm not going to lie, the Meisner technique and the art of acting in general is NOT easy if you want to be good at it, and becoming a dedicated actor and becoming passionate about your craft takes time. You have to ground yourself, too. However, no matter what has happened, whether I did good, great, so-so, or even poor job when working with Alan from 2006 to now, I am happy I chose to work with him! If I could do it over again, I'd choose him without thinking twice. Over the years of working with him, Alan's became both a mentor and a good friend as well. So, my gut instincts were right and I'm glad I went with them! =) *claps*

Okie dokie -- now let's fast forward to the present time.

On Thursday, March 4th, 2010, Alan had a workshop at the Player's Theatre, the usual theatre he works and teaches at, that night where he was discussing Cold Reading, Audition Technique, and Scene Study. Prior to this date, I haven't worked with Alan in about a year, because I took a hiatus to do some serious soul-searching, so I didn't know what to expect, and in a way, my mind has gone kind of blank of some of the things I've learned before. I had a general idea of how to do things, but specifically, everything else was a blur. It's been a while, and my mind was stuck on the improvisation class with repetition excercises, free-association, and other stuff I haven't touched in about a year.

So, going to Alan's workshop, I knew I had to break the ice on a lot of self-doubt and some personal fear, but only this time, I had a new profound outlook on life and had more confidence, so I was determined to start over again. And the cool thing about that night was my non-actor friend, Nick, came with me! Nick knows Alan, too, so he wanted to observe how he was as a teacher, therefore we were both invited to the workshop!

Nick and I arrived in the village fairly early. Once you hit Washington Square Park, you're close to Player's Theatre. We walked through the park, walked down the glowing street that is MacDougal St., and as I walked the streets, observed the little cafes, jewelry shops, tattoo shops, my mind began to fill with fond memories of chilling in the ink shops, stopping for coffee after a session at J&B, and the day I first step foot on MacDougal back in 2006.

So, after Nick ate a falafel (I didn't - I was too full from a salad I had previously), we made our way into the Player's Theatre, up the stairs, and into room 3C. I got to see my former classmate, fellow up-and-coming actor, and friend, Ivan Goris, and since everyone knows I love meeting new people, I got to to meet some new folks, too, who turned out to be really nice once we were able to introduce ourselves to each other! But we didn't have time for chit-chat before, because ten minutes later, Alan decided to start, right on the dot at 7 PM. And like I said in the previous blog, I was excited, but a little nervous. Excited, because I was back in the classroom, but nervous because I was...well, I was back in the classroom.

There was about a total of nine people in there, including myself, and we all sat before Alan, jotted notes in our notebooks as he talked about breaking down a script, and as I wrote my notes, listened to him talk, my mind began to refresh on what I've lost contact with in a year. Little by little, everything came back to me. I will say this, I remembered what a beat is, the pinch for the ouch (the script will pinch you), the range in emotions, the attention on the other person, and a couple of character breakdown tools. I also remembered the importance of being "specific" ("Generality is the enemy of all art." as I've heard Alan say a lot in my years of working with him), leaving yourself alone for emotional preparation, and not being afraid to open your imagination.

When Alan teaches, he's very specific on how things are done. He explains how everything is done carefully and doesn't mince words so you can understand exactly where he's driving at. And when studying with him or with any good acting coach, it's important to know how to work fully, to stay human, understand your emotional parallels, the truth to your feelings - whether they are drawn from real life or even imaginative circumstances -- either way, it all has to be real to you. So, despite the fact I was a bit nervous about coming back, I am SO HAPPY I went!

One of the things you'd also want from a great acting coach is a sense of inspiration, and that night, after Nick and I said our goodbyes to Alan, Ivan, and the other cool people we met that night, I have to say, I left 100% inspired! It was also an eye-opener for me to see how far I've come since I first came to New York back in January of 2006. The difference, though, between KRISTINE YOUNG (in 2006) and CRISTINA CHO (in 2010) is that I'm more grown-up now, and I think that I value these lessons and my work 50x more than before. I take myself and my ambitions more serious now. I think I also have became more passionate about this industry, and I've built a more confident, solid foundation and ideaology of who it is I am as a person, too, which is uber important as an actor when it comes to both the art and the business side of it.

Also, let's face it: When you're twenty-four years old, you're more carefree than you are when you're twenty-eight. So, that night, I was inpspired, and my friend, Nick, was IMPRESSED by Alan's way of teaching! We walked all the way up to Midtown and he couldn't stop talking about it - it was as if he found a huge chunk of gold in pavement of the sidewalks in NYC! =)

Overall, it was a really great night! A memorable one as well!

Soooo....that's what went on that night! I think in his recent email he sent out to us that he might be working on future workshops, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for that. Then again, I could always drop Alan a text, email, or even phone him and set a date for a private session or attend one of his on-going classes. So, it's not like Alan and I are never gonna work with each other ever again, but I think the cool thing about this workshop is that is gave him a chance to show those who haven't met him or even work with him before how he does his job. And might I add, from what I've said on here, he does an excellent job!

So, Alan, if you're reading this -- kudos to you, and once again, THANK YOU!!!!! =)

Now, before I close this blog, I have some links I'd like to direct you to:

If you're located in or are close to New York City and are interested in learning more about the Alan Gordon Acting Studio or are interested in working with Alan someday or auditing his classes, you can visit the website -- http://www.alangordonstudio.com/ -- get some information about Alan's ongoing classes in Scene Study and Improvisation/Technique - both classes are excellent. Also check out the testimonials, too, from some of Alan's students. =) There's also ways of contacting him in case you have any specific questions.

And why not also visit the website to The Player's Theatre - http://www.theplayerstheatre.com/ - see what events and shows are coming up, and much, much more! Also, the theatre is located in a very active part of the village, so there's always something to do in the area! =)

Also, Alan Gordon is pro-Meisner as a teacher and as an actor, himself. If you're unaware of Sanford Meisner or like to learn more about his technique, visit the website to The Sanford Meisner Studio in Los Angeles, or read all about it on Wikipedia.

Last, but not least - I want to quickly introduce you to my "reference" book called "The Intent to Live: Achieving Your True Potential As An Actor" by Larry Moss, a Los Angeles-based acting coach, whose teaching styles are similar to Alan's. Actually, it was Alan, himself, who recommended this book to me one time during a private session, and I've read it, but I'm re-reading it now. And the next time I do a book review, this will be the book I will be reviewing.

"Be bold and great things will come to you." - Anonymous

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/

MIND CANDY 018: BITE-SIZE IN FEBRUARY

2010-02-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

MUSIC: "Welcome to the World" by Kevin Rudolf & Rick Ross
TIME: 9:51 PM

Previously when I was handing out mind candy back in December, this little incident happened! But like I said before, the Bite-Size Business Soiree -- held by my business coach, Erin Cronican -- happens at least every once a month all year round, so it wasn't like it was the end of the world for me, personally....however, I was really glad I was able to attend the one they held on Sunday, the 21st.

Before I go into what went on at the soiree for this month, here's a little story about how I met Erin, and I will somewhat give a little example of how "small" the NYC industry is or how tightly-knit we are, because strangely, I find it all pretty interesting.

A classmate from my improv classes with Alan Gordon named DeeDee Beard posted a notice about one of her soirees in January of 2009. Granted, though, I couldn't make it to the one in January, but I commented to DeeDee via Facebook to keep me posted on future soirees. I was, however, able to make it to the soiree in February, and ironically, the topic of discussion was NETWORKING LIKE A PRO! Now, flashback to Cristina Cho in February of 2009 -- I was very, very shy, learning to come out of my shell, rebuilding my personality, and I was pretty nervous and kind of uptight about being in a room full of professional/aspiring actors. Also, at the time, I was going by my previous alias, KRISTINE YOUNG.

I walk into the room, there Erin is, and immediately, she was VERY welcoming. We all sat in a big circle to listen to Erin teach about networking, and just from the moment I first heard her speak about good ways to network in the acting industry, I was really glad to be there. And I had NO IDEA that she knew Alan, but to make a long story short, Erin and I started officially working with each other in March, and we've been working with each other ever since then! =) So, I had a business coach and a second mentor on board!

Now, I don't go to Erin all the time. I mainly go to her whenever my career centers around the business aspect of it. Prior building my website, coming up with a way to market myself, and my one-on-one meetings with several headshot photographers before I decided to go with Matthew Sussman, Erin helped me understand the importance of being a business person in this industry and taught me how to prepare on presenting myself in my headshots, on my websites, and when networking with other actors and industry folks. Plus, thanks to Erin, I have to say it -- I absolutely LOVE networking now! Most actors don't, but I'm not "most actors" - I'm one actor, thank you very much - and I say that the networking part of my career is true delight!

Another thing about my business coach is that she really DOES make you feel excited about being in this industry! She's always lifting your spirits up, brings new ideas to the table for you, and she's very smart and very inspiring! So, I am very fortunate to have met with her! *claps*

All right...now, let's talk about Sunday's soiree shall we?

First of all, I want to thank Mother Nature for NOT snowing me in Brick, NJ this time around!

The topic of discussion for this one was DAY JOBS FOR ACTORS. What we would do in our circle in the first half of the event was introduce ourselves in to everyone in the entire room since there's always somebody new coming through the door, state our concerns with our current jobs or being laid-off or whichever and how we can somehow work it around our acting careers. This isn't a topic I'd think would come up in one of Erin's soirees, but it was a good topic to bring up. And I guess with the way the economy is now-a-days, it was important to discuss. Also, the funny thing was, just in that one half of the soiree alone, Erin had 30+ people in the room, which is rare. The previous three soirees I've been to, since this was my fourth, there'd be a maximum of about ten to twelve people. Most of the others who show up later on come to the mixer, where we all meet and network.

In the room of 30+ people, we all sat before Erin, listened to her like little kids in a classroom as she spoke about our careers, our goals as actors, and how we could have a stable income as well. Erin made us list "goals for a day job" -- pretty must list not the title of our dream day jobs, but what we'd like to do for a day job. She made us envision what kind of acting careers we want...and I'm not going to lie, I did write down a little "wish" in my notes, but I didn't show it to anyone nor tell anyone it. That's actually a little something I rather keep to myself, thank you very much, but along the lines of that "wish" I wrote down, I also made up my mind sort of on a fallback career IF the acting don't work out. One of the things Erin did make us do was write down what we love to do, other than act. I put down, as my second love, was website design and graphic art, but the truth is, as much as I love doing that, I have something else in mind for a fallback....and no, I'm not saying what that is, either!

Sorry! =P

Also, in all honesty, since I have my own website, a very steady day job that requires my time five times a week, early in the wee morning into the afternoon, I'm afraid I also don't have the time to work on another website, therefore, I'd rather see my peers provide their needs to someone who DOES have the time to provide their services to and will do it with care.

Anywho, after the soiree, we all went go to the Marriott Marquis in Times Square to the 9th floor, where we hold our mixer. This is the fun part, and for the first time I've ever been at an actor's mixer, I felt great! Generally, there are a lot of really nice people who come to the mixers -- there have been only very few people whom, I honestly will say, have made me feel placed in some awkward position -- but the people from this one were all really, really great! A really nice group of people, and the cool thing about it was I got to see some people whom I haven't seen in a while. So, if they're reading this blog, I thank you and I am really glad we met! =)

There was a short moment when I was at the mixer, I just stood back a little and observed the action all around me and absorbed it all in. Erin had a group of people in one spot, and my acting coach, Alan, had a group in another spot. I really enjoy watching my coaches network, because it helps me learn from them, how they construct their business, approach others, and how they hold themselves in every conversation. I notice how confident both Erin and Alan are with their work and how compassionate they are to aspiring actors such as myself. But all in all, I think the key to networking is just to be yourself, think about the position you are in, think about how you can help others, because when you are given the chance to do that, whether is recommending your acting coach, your headshot photographer, etc. or offering any kind of service you have, it does make you feel good!

Throughout the soiree on Sunday, I had someone in mind: My friend, Angel, whom I've known since my otaku days. Both Angel and I originally "met" when we had "Tenchi Muyo" websites back in the day, and we linked our sites together, kept in touch, even when those days were over, and we've been buds ever since. The reason why I thought about Angel is, because just recently, she's added a channel on YouTube where she does tutorials for hair and make-up.

Angel is one of the most talented people I've ever met! She can draw, do website design, graphic design, do hair, and make-up, and she does it like a pro (if you ever see her work, you'll be like, "Is there anything this girl CAN'T do?!")! She's a very passionate artist and has always been an inspiration to me as a fellow graphic artist and website designer, myself. I, personally, think she can beat me with my designs, too! And during the soiree and the mixer, I was thinking, "Damn...if only this girl lived in New York!"

Angel hails from St. Louis, MO, and I wonder if St. Louis does have an acting community of their own, because I do believe if Angel did promote herself as a professional make-up and hair person, she could start her own business and really get booked for headshots, perhaps even design website for actors who can't do website design, do postcards and business cards. I know if she were in New York and if she came with me to the mixer, a lot of the people I met that day would want to know more about her!

Therefore, please, do check out her YouTube channel, angelxmake, and you will see exactly what I am talking about! I have to say, too, I love how she introduces the products she uses, especially the bobby pins and the eyeshadow/eyeliner brushes -- VERY Ayumi Hamasaki-esque, especially with the long red nails. XD Luv ya, Ang!

So....that's what the Bite-Size Business Soirees are all about! You get a piece of insight of our industry, meet great people, meet other professionals, and it's always a learning process for an aspiring actor/industry person!

Now, before I close this blog with a little bit of good news, allow me to direct you to a couple of links:

First and foremost, for more information about Erin Cronican, you can visit her official website, ErinCronican.com, which, btw, she designed herself, too! (*yay to actors who can do their own websites*)

For more information about The Actors' Enterprise, which is Erin's one-on-one business coaching service, visit the website -- http://www.theactorsenterprise.org/ - check out the testimonials from Erin's students (including myself) and professional colleagues, and also see what it is she has to offer, because believe me, she is someone you'd want on your team!

And last, but not least -- there is also the Bite-Size Business Blog, where Erin gives you quick, yet very informative tips on how you can manage career, be like the professionals, and much more!

Now, for the quickie news, Thursday, March 4th, I am attending a workshop provided by Alan, my acting coach, where he is going to go over cold reading, scene study, and audition technique, which is something I am definitely gonna need! The workshop will take place @ the Player's Theatre in the West Village, starts at 7pm, and I have to say, I am a little nervous, but I am also excited as well! And you can bet, I WILL be blogging about that, too! =)

That's enough candy for now!

Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/